the emerald isle

our first introduction to ireland was the shannon airport, where us navy soldiers milled about waiting for their connecting flights. jaeda sat by a man named sean (picture a wierd accent over the e) who stuffed her head with helpful information. i hope she can remember it all while we are here. the gentleman next to casey informed us that they always clap when the plane lands. we made it safe and sound!

we made it to our church meeting on time thanks to a man on the bus wearing a missionary name badge. there was a huge mission reunion in finglas that brought a ton of visitors to a usually small ward. our teacher said that about half the people in class were visiting. so many people introduced themselves and we felt welcome, even with our sleepy jetlagged eyes and huge backpacks.

we had to try VERY hard to stay awake all day in order to adjust to the time. we slept 10 hours and still managed to fall asleep on the tour bus today.

the island is so beautiful. it reminds me a lot of home. green EVERYWHERE, the changing weather (about every 5 minutes). although it is so much older here. rock fences and plots of land seperated by short hedges and trees. it is a beautiful patchwork of varying shades of green.

we have officially been granted the gift of gab. connor, our insane tour leader, has assured us that by kissing the blarney stone we will speak like an irishman for 7 years, so be prepared...

there is a festival going on in killarney where we are staying tonight. we saw street performers and a leprechaun playing the fiddle with elvis and the teletubbies.

there are a few tidbits from our trip. the internet cafe closes soon, so we must update you in detail later.