Day 1- back in Dublin.
I've gone through quite a few feelings in the last day (granted my day has been about 30 hrs). But it's been a doozy. It's funny how different this all felt from the previous times I've left the country. I've always been excited and prepped and ready to go. This time it just felt like I was packing and getting on a plane again. When we were hopping in the car to head to the airport, I was nervous (and I rarely get nervous). I felt the knot in the pit of my stomach that is me questioning my decisions. Yes, of course, I still wanted to go to Ireland but it keeps seeming more and more weird to leave the people I love.
But I got into the airport and the familiar airport zen came back to me...I was able to be in my zone and my element. Heck, I started a dance party with one of the TSA people! I had a bit of excitement when they overbooked the flight and said we could get an $800 voucher to get re-routed through London Heathrow. Sadly, after all my gearing up to change my plans and banking on my ticket home they didn't even need us volunteers. (Pay attention kids, this is important later on, spoiler alert).
Once I got on the plane I started getting excited and once I started seeing the city and the hills outside of Dublin, I was bouncing in my seat and squealing with delight (literally, lots of people stared). Little did I know what awaited me off that plane...
So I got off and was greeted by the brand-new shiny terminal and the world's LONGEST line for passport control. These people were gonna be there all day clicking their little stamps so they really didn't care how long we were standing there. There were many wonderful people-watching moments like crazy crying kids, and their exhausted parents being relieved by a lady with a perfectly-distracting granola bar! The agents directing everyone also offered people an "irish breakfast" and then said that that really just meant a Guinness.
Once I finally made it through I got to the baggage carousel...waited for 10 mins, watched everything go around (twice) then started looking at all the others. I hunted down the lost luggage people and after telling me twice that I should double check the carousels, the other woman said they were still in Chicago (which was not a lot of help to me in Dublin).
Now I may sound annoyed by all this but I was tired I was really just amused, I found it all quite comical. Then it got even funnier! Cause when I tried to call the guy from CouchSurfing I was to stay with, his phone didn't work! And you'll just have to stay tuned for the dramatic conclusion because I'm falling asleep on the keybbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbtt43djjjjjjjjfffffffffffffffffff.
