mary-day one.

We made it to Dublin yesterday morning, after a reaaaaally long day of planes and airports. Everyone was completely exhausted by the time we finally arrived, but they forced us to stay awake by putting us directly on a coach bus and taking us on a tour of the city. I was a little too grouchy and groggy to enjoy it as much as I might have otherwise, but it was pretty amazing when I stopped to think about where I was. We went to Trinity college and saw the Book of Kells exhibition and the Long Room--a huge library with thousands of old books. I've been really impressed with the architecture here, it's amazingly beautiful. After we finally got to the IMI where we're staying, we had dinner (salmon with mashed potatoes seems to be a popular dish...I haven't had much luck with European food yet) and some of us walked to a shopping center from the IMI, and eventually found our way to a pub, where I had my first authentic Irish Guiness. I wasn't dissapointed. Exhaustion finally took over and we headed back to the hotel (getting a little lost along the way and inadvertantly taking a LONG hike. Fortunately we got some help from some Irish kids and a drunken elderly man.) to get some sleep. This morning I feel much better. We ate breakfast and caught the LUAS (railway system) into the city. There's a hunger going on right now in St. Patrick's Cathedral. Some Afghani workers are seeking asylum there because they want to stay in the country and don't have citizenship. There is a protest there today at two and I'm going to check that out. I think my project is going to involve comparing Irish views on the war/American politics. I'm really excited about the things we're going to be seeing and doing and can't wait to see what the day brings.