Happy Birthday, Brittany!

Turning 21 lacks something when you are in a country where you can drink when you’re 12 18 so we had to show Brittany a good time.

We started our good time by having dinner with Brittany before Irish History class (and my third presentation of the day) and served typical birthday party food (soda, pizza, and birthday cake.) It was a good, down home American birthday celebration with two Americans and an Australian.

At lecture our teacher explained an essay that we have to write and informed us that unlike in the US, we have to answer the question we are being asked in the essay. Wow, things are different here.

After a very depressing lecture on the Potato Famine we hit Temple Bar. Stevie, Laura and I took the bus into the city, which was successful despite the fact that we did not have our navigator Brittany. We knew that we had to get off at the bus stop across from the store that had sequined dresses in the window. I am not even kidding, that was our landmark. Brittany, her stepmom, and her cousin met us at our favorite bar, The Temple Bar, and listened to some traditional Irish music. It’s funny, but I really forget I’m in Ireland and take it for granted until I realize that the music that I’m hearing is live Irish music that is being played in a pub in Dublin and then I smile.

While we were at Temple Bar we also engaged in a little mischief. You see, Laura and I started the semester with about seven glasses in our apartment, about four of which were left here by the people who were living there last semester. Now we have one glass and everyone in the apartment is using it. I have no idea where the rest of the glasses are but I have not seen them in a long while. I suspect that someone is holding them in their room for some unexplained reason. Yesterday I bought a new glass because I thought it was unhygienic for so many people to be drinking out of one glass. I thought I would leave this glass in the kitchen so everyone could use it as well but that was a bad decision considering it had disappeared by that night. Seriously?! I am a little peeved. Good thing the glass only cost one euro.

Anyway, this has created a cycle of stealing because to make up for the missing glasses Laura and I took some from Temple Bar. I feel a little bad about it until I remember that 1) bars get the glasses for free from the breweries and 2) a pint costs 6.50 euro, the equivalent of about 10 US dollars. Now I am the proud owner of a Smithwicks glass and Laura has a Bulmers one. Stevie also secured a Guinness glass for Brittany’s stepmom as a souvenir by going up to the customers that just finished it and asking if she could have it. Laura got her glass from pretending that she was bussing tables (she thinks the Australian dialect threw them off.)

Stevie, Laura, and I took the last bus back to UCD and when we got home I fried up some potatoes for Laura and me and we had leftover cake for dessert. That sounds like a perfect late night snack to me. We also sang “Party in the USA” while cooking.