How this trip came about (kinda)

"You should run away with me to Ireland next spring" - Star

I think that she was joking when she said it, but details like that aren't really important, right?
Star is one of my best friends ever from camp (hence the name -- it is short for Alkali Shooting Star, logically)  She is a Jr in college and spending the semester abroad at the National University of Ireland Galway.  On the other hand, I am recently graduated (this May in reality, this August on paper -- gotta love my school).  Since I do not have one of those legendary grown-up jobs, I figured I might as well have a-not-grown-up-job in Ireland.  To be honest I am of the opinion that anything which ends with in Ireland is at least 60% less bad than it would have been anywhere else, particularly in Maryland.   Nothing against my home state, there a lot to love about the Old Line State if you can get past the humidity, but there is a distinct lack of castles chilling in Maryland so it is clearly 60% less cool.  


Although I am not huge on that whole make-real-plans-for-the-future-thing, I formed a general plan-ish-thing last year going into my senior year.  It involved three basic parts: survive school and graduate, work over the summer and fall, move to Europe after Christmas.  There was all sorts of great things that happened within this basic outline, such as working at camp as PD, my brother and sis-in-law getting married, visiting friends, and a good bit of swing dancing cause that's what I do for fun.  So it was not a crazy entirely new plan my bosom budding Star was suggesting when she said I should run away to Ireland with her.  I was basically heading in that direction anyway.  It might have been Italy or Romania or somewhere else, but I was planning on hopping the ocean anyway.  And taking Galway by storm with Star sounded great.  Now it's really happening -- WooT w00t.  In less than a week! 


My big bro and I went to Galway when I was visiting Ireland with him after his semester abroad in 2005.  We had a week and traveled to a bunch of different cities and towns, it was great.  We rented bikes and biked around Galway and it was wonderful.  I can't wait to be back. Star's dad was slightly surprised when he realized we were serious about me moving to Ireland while Star was there, yup we're serious.  Because why not? When else would I be able to pack up and go like this?  If I spend all of my saving on food and rent in Ireland I'm cool with that and I will just start saving again when I get home.  Or I will marry an Irish boy with a castle.  And then at some point later I can start looking for a grown-up-job.