I woke up really early today. I don't get it. I slept in the bed upstairs the previous night, and I still was up by 6:00. This is not the way to last for a year. I'm beginning to get a touch concerned.
Anyway, after lying in bed and staring at the ceiling for a couple hours I got up and made myself some toast. Rochelle had already left with Dave to go to Galway, so Kel and Mitchen dropped me off for an 8:45 bus and I was on my way back to Dublin.
The first thing I did when I got back was go to the hostel and see if I could leave my stuff there for the afternoon, since I didn't want to carry it around all day. They said no, because the storage room is only for people staying at the hostel. I can understand that, in principal, since I guess it's part of what you pay for, but seriously, this shit-crater of a hostel is really going to not let me leave my stuff there for one afternoon? After I paid to stay there for two nights? Shouldn't they have a little more gratitude for ANYONE who stayed past a first night? I was pissed, but I went upstairs and left a note for Joel, saying that I'd meet him on the front steps at 6:00 that evening.
Since the internet cafe that I sometimes go to was just around the corner, and since Joel usually goes there too, I figured I'd give it a check. Joel, of course, was there, still trying to find work. I told him I was thinking about going up to Belfast one of these days, and he said that he had gotten a job offer in Belfast. So he was down to go.
(And, if you're wondering, there's a big difference between going with Joel and going with Rochelle. This was fine by me.)
I left my small backpack with Joel, who said he'd take it back to the hostel with him, and I went to Trinity to look around and try to meet some students.
Trinity is on the south side of the river, which made it the first time since Thursday that I had crossed over there. I don't really know much about the college, and am not sure I could find out any more about it here than anyone could on wikipedia, but it looks like an Ivy League school and probably has nearly, if not equalled, reputation. I didn't see much of the campus, but when you walk in the front gates you see a huge field with lots of grand buildings, and there are tours of the college all the time for €10. So it must be a pretty big deal.
Anyway, I didn't see much because about 30 seconds after I got onto the campus some kids walked past me talking in obviously American accents. It was three girls and a guy, with one each from South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia although I can't remember which was which. They all go to Furman in South Carolina, so it was like one big Dixie-fest with them, but they were doing a British summer semester abroad for English, History, and Theater majors so I figured they were alright.
And alright they were. I walked around with them for a bit as they went shopping for books and clothes and I told them about my time in Dublin so far. They were all incredibly friendly and had been there for a couple weeks but were staying in the Trinity dorms, so their experience was a bit different from mine.
After we had walked around for a bit, they headed back to the dorms for lunch and Riley, the guy, asked if I wanted to have a PB&J with them. I said sure, not only since it would be a change from the Ham and Baguette Deluxe but because, more importantly, it would save me a euro and a half.
On the walk back to the dorms Riley also offered me a place to crash in his dorm but with the caveat that the Trinity gates close at midnight, at which point you need a valid ID to get in. That meant I'd have to be inside the gate at midnight, which I wasn't exactly crazy about. So I thanked him but said no, which is probably what he expected.
For lunch I had a delicious PB&J as the main course, followed by a fruit course of an orange, followed by a desert of two chocolate chip cookies. That Riley sure was doing right by me.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in the Trinity computer lab on one of their friend's password, walking around Dublin, checking bus times and prices for Galway and Belfast, and things like that. I also went on a wild goose chase for the supermarket I had gone to during my first couple days in Dublin, where I bought a Ham & Baguette Deluxe Supreme for €1.18. An H'n'B DS is different from the regular Deluxe because it's one step lower in both the ham and the bread, so it's about 40 euro cents less. What a steal.
At 6:00 I went back to the hostel to meet Joel, who was sitting on the steps with a 6-pack of Bass, which cost €1 a can. And Bass isn't exactly Natty Light. The man was prepared.
When I first got to the hostel in the morning to ask about storing my stuff, I had said something along the lines of "I'm not staying here anymore, but can I store my stuff..." I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it definitely included the fact that I was no longer staying there. Wow, what a dumb move.
When I got to the hostel and saw the same guy was at the desk, then, I couldn't believe how dumb I had been. Joel said to come in, and I told him that the guy knew I wasn't staying there anymore. But Joel said not to worry, and I followed him in and completely avoided eye contact with the guy. And I made it upstairs.
So then I drank some beer, took a shower, and left my pack in my old room, relishing the fact that it was no longer my room. Or my hostel.
We left the hostel at around 8:00 to meet the Americans at the first stop of their literary pub crawl, which is basically a pub crawl to different places that were made famous either because of writers or because of their work. Pretty cool concept in a city as historical as Dublin, but not worth the €10.
Anyway, we got to the first stop a bit late, and then went to the next one to meet them there. We had quite some time to wait but didn't feel like spending €5 for a pint of beer. So instead of sitting there empty-handed, I asked the people a few tables down from us if we could finish their sampler platter of onion rings, fried mushrooms and chicken wings. They were more than willing to help out a couple starving dudes.
After we finished our feast, though, the Americans still hadn't shown up with the pub crawl. We were getting a bit antsy at this point and wanted to head out, so I left a note at the bar for my four new friends saying that we had meant to see them but were thirsty-- and €3 drinks were awaiting us elsewhere.
Then Joel and I went to this €3-drink bar, but it didn't open until 10:00. I said we should swing through Trinity to see if there were any students around, but the campus was practically dead. Two girls walked past and I asked them if they were students. They said no, and when I asked where all the students were they replied that the term hadn't started yet, and so there weren't many around and wouldn't be for nearly a month. That explained that. And also sealed the deal that I would go to Belfast or Galway, since the girl said both were in session.
There was still some time before the other bar opened, and I had no energy to just stand around. So we went back to the hostel to see if anything at all was happening, and this time I looked the guy at the desk-- the same guy as earlier-- directly in the eye before walking upstairs. And he didn't say a word.
I set my alarm for 10:45 and lay down, and when it went off I got out of bed and saw that Joel was passed out on his bed. I shook him awake and asked if he still wanted to go out. He said no. I didn't argue.
So, therefore, two developments from tonight. One is that I didn't take a nap today for the first time on my trip, I think. So that's an improvement.
The other, of course, is that it was an early night. To say the least. So that was weak.
Sorry.
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