I have arrived in Ireland, and thus far it has already been an adventure, from plane delays to getting lost. To any potential travelers to Ireland be sure to know how you are getting to your destination from the airport. We (my fellow students and I) were under the impression it would be easy to get a ticket for a bus that would take us to Galway. It turns out that "easy" turned into a hour-and-a-half of walking around trying to find some sort of booth that sells tickets. Finally we broke and decided actually to ask for help and our dilemma was answered quickly. Turns out you simply buy the tickets on the bus, it is brilliant! If only there was a sign to tell us this information.

The jet lag did not really hit many of us for some time. We tried sleeping on the airplane with little success and the bus was not much better. We did however get to see some interesting architecture on the drive and what I thought was a creative preschool paint job. Of course it was the bus ride where we truly discovered what driving on the left side of the road feels like. In all honestly it was not too bad until we came to a roundabout. They are confusing enough going in a familiar direction, but once you go left you think an accident is soon to follow. Additionally the roads are much thinner and the driving is far more aggressive.

The weather here in Ireland is considerably different from Minnesota. For example at my home college they had a heat advisory with the high getting in the upper 90's while here it never got above 70. Besides this stark difference in temperature it is always wet and it will mist on and off all day. The rain here is not like home where it is a torrential down poor for ten minutes then done, instead it is a constant misting of water, This means nothing ever dries. I will now be living in a cottage which will be my home for the next few months. The cottages are located pretty far out in the country. It is pleasant, they are slightly secluded allowing for a peaceful environment. For example as I am writing this the sun is setting and birds singing. On arrival my roommates and I quickly unpacked and decided that dinner was required as most of us had not eaten for a long length of time due to traveling all day. Lucky for us we already had some food in the fridge and we made spaghetti. Dinner was what I would call a success for our first homemade meal of the trip. Later that night the owners of the hotel next to us (same people who own the cottages we are living in) opened the bar and we all relaxed after a long day of travels. It was an excellent way to end the day and to kick of the beginning of this Ireland adventure.