July 10th - Ireland

Hi!

Today started out like a pretty normal day. I woke up, went to breakfast, and then headed to my first class, where we learned more about cover letters and how to appeal to hiring managers.

After that, I went back to my room, knocked out some work, and started packing for... Ireland! That’s what I’ve been hiding. I also had to review the chapter on Buddhism for my religion class since we had a quiz today.

I didn’t have much time for lunch, so I quickly grabbed a meat and cheese calzone from one of the Italian spots around Oxford. Then it was off to take my quiz.

Class ended a little early today so we could all catch a bus to Heathrow Airport. I gathered up all my things and hopped on board.

Heathrow Airport

Once we reached the airport, we went straight through security, although my bag got flagged because of my toothpaste. No big deal. After that, we wandered around the terminal until it was time to board. When my gate was finally called, I was trying to juggle a chicken wrap I’d picked up from one of the ready-to-eat places along with my passport and boarding pass. Of course, that’s exactly when disaster struck: the wrap started leaking. I tried to cover the bottom with napkins and eat it quickly, but then it got stuck in the container. The outside was delicate, the inside still hot and melty. I ended up crushing the container to force it out, which only made it leak more. The wrap basically turned into hot, cheesy liquid, so there I was, drinking the wrap while shuffling through the gate, all while the juices from the wrap were dripping on me. Absolutely horrible, but also kind of hilarious in hindsight.

Once I actually got on the flight, things went a lot smoother.

The edge of England. That's the Cornwall peninsula in the distance

Hello, Ireland!

We landed at Shannon Airport and met our tour guide, who’ll be taking us around the northwestern coast of Ireland for the next few days. He brought us to Galway and gave us a little tour of the city.

Once we settled into our place for the night, we decided to go out and get some pizza at Pizza & Pasta Napoli, since it was already late and many other shops were already closed. The pizza was amazing; it was comparable to pizzas I've eaten in New York. I just got a normal cheese slice, and it was flavorful and delicious. 

I'd already started eating before I could take a pic (oops)

After that, we decided to go across the street to The Front Door Pub, where I tried a Guinness for the first time. It tasted bitter and slightly sour, similar to unsweetened coffee, but it went down very smoothly. The texture was almost velvety; definitely unlike anything I've ever had before.

Then we went back, and we're now winding down for the night.

That's all for today!