So,

Almost everyone should know by now that for my 25th birthday I treated myself to something I have wanted to do since my father first uttered the words. "Sweetheart, be proud, our family came straight from Ireland." I think I was four when he said that, and as I was younger, I pestered my parents about going EVERY year, it was not long after that, that I immersed myself into the culture, people, customs, and foods of... yes Ireland. I went almost the entire month of June, and after 600 or more photos and many other things, including a new found understanding of the phrase... "Do NOT drink the tap water in foreign countries" I returned to Alaska with one thing in mind

-Holy Fuck are we Americans ever backward- NOW before I start getting piles and piles of hatemail because of this, hear me out.


When I stepped off the plane in the Dublin Airport I got more greetings from people that lived there than I ever have in any state I have had the pleasure of dealing with. BTW the Newark Airport sucks.. I just thought I would push that out there.


The man at the customs office for the non EU line (over there they now have a EU and NON EU lines for customs) asked us all about Alaska (I went with my very best friend) He was an older gentleman and conversing with him was easy, he stamped our passports and let us on our way. The very nice people at baggage had our bags ready and waiting for us (because the bags, unlike us) had taken a much earlier flight then we did and finding our way through the Dublin airport was so easy we didn't even need to ask the customer service agents help. Now mind you, I had spent the day before packing all day, then flew all day to Ireland... 26 hours of flying, so I was going on two days of no sleep which makes for interesting traveling.

Now we had actually come in a day early because of the whole jet lag thing, and wanting to be well rested for the trip. We found our people mover sized bus that would take us to the holiday inn for the night, which was actually more like middle of the day there. Now here is where the backwardness starts.

WHEN YOU GO TO A HOTEL IN IRELAND: (we learned all of this quickly)

You get two key cards, this is not because they think you will loose one but because of another reason. There is a little slot on the wall before you hit 8 million other little switches, you put your key card in this special holder, what this does is turn on the lights. If you just swipe the card, you will be showering with the lights off in a matter of ten minutes, guaranteed and no one likes soap in their eyes. We found out (after a much embarrassing call to the front desk to ask why our lights wouldn't work.) Is that this conserves energy. Also, unless you specifically ask for a full turnover in your room (by using one of the other 8 million little door cards) They will come in and only do a light turnover, meaning making the bed, making sure it is hoovered, and everything is picked up off the floor. Along with this, all hotels have adopted a sort of bathroom towel etiquette towels on floor.... means I need new ones... towels on rack... I will use them again.... all this is to reduce washing linens that are unnecessarily washed over and over again yes my friends, Ireland is not just the land of 40 million shades of green but they themselves are green.


The Toilets are flushed with two buttons, and in order to properly flush, they have to be both pushed at the same time. And the tubs and showers are much smaller than the normal ones. and usually if a tub is involved then it is also higher off the ground than normal.


I will never forget the moment that I saw the Book of Kells. Maybe it is what my father told me, that my family was Irish, that we had fought hard to keep our Irish heritage throughout the years and that is what had given me my nearly pure irish blood, but when I peered through the glass at trinity college I almost started crying (I got into a argument with four little french people who tried to have the books table all to themselves, that didn't work, when they glared at me, I glared right back... and something about my glare made them make space for me) To actually see the book of kells. After that we took the stairs into the long room. (you know that place that lucas got sued for for using in the clone wars????) and if heaven was anything that was what I would want.... well the long room is my version of heaven... floor to ceiling books in a long rectangle with a bust of every influential writer of that period. ZOMG!!!!


We then took a tour of Dublin as a city with our tour bus full of people. Our guide was amazing and our driver was hilarious.

Every morning we woke up early, showered and ate a full irish breakfast, I usually had eggs, toast, mushrooms, tomatoes, potato cakes, fruit and a crossaint. Afterwards you always had the choice of tea or coffee.. now I don't know what we were thinking, but LIPTON is NOT tea. I had a friend of mine tell me that Lipton is like drinking dead water out of a dirty sock. It is... American tea, I can honestly say is a very bitter brew, and usually brewed incorrectly I find out.

We would then do whatever was on our Itinerary, Like the Rock of Cashel and St Patricks Cross.. the Actual st patricks cross which I could reach out and touch (If I wanted to get thrown out, which I didn't) I climbed the stairs to the Blarney stone, no I did not kiss it, and took a buggy ride to a mansion in the small town of Killarney.

While I was there, and if anyone heard me talk, Immediately we would draw a crowd, asking us where we were from. All I had to say was Alaska, and all of a sudden I was a novelty even though I was beside myself with glee hearing themselves speak.

What I am trying to say is. We have become complacent in our lives, and we no longer make others feel as welcome as I was in a socialist country where if your a resident and born in Ireland you have the ability to get some if not all of your University paid for by the government, you get free health care... and you know what they are taxed for EVERYTHING but children's clothing and schoolbooks, AND because of all these taxes, everything In dublin usually has the lovely word in front of it called "NATIONAL" and if it has NATIONAL written in front than it is FREE!!!!! which is a lot of places, like the museum, art galleries, the Natural Museum. The only two places I paid for were the bus and the zoo.

We Americans worry about what everything will cost us, the individual. But why can't we have a socialist democracy? Why couldn't even HALF of our university be free, or even our museums??? Our government wants us to get an education but at the same time, they are unwilling to do anything about helping with our education short of spending several hours explaining to them in the form of a letter why you need assistance that at the end of your college career will only serve as even more collateral damage to your credit than pirates to a Spanish Maine.


Anyways I am done ranting now....