I arrived in Dublin almost two hours later than Dave Hayman, and his team, were expecting me. I wasn’t sure if they were going to wait around for me because I hadn’t been able to contact them in any way before leaving Charlotte. On the flight, I was given a card to give to Immigration telling them where I was going to be staying and for how long. I wrote down two weeks and then I drew a blank on the address or location where I would be staying. I hadn’t discussed any of that with Dave.

I realized on the flight that if I left the airport and wasn’t able to find Dave I had no back-up plan. I decided I would just wing it and head to Kilkenny, the only place I could remember him talking about. Needless to say, if I had actually done that, I would have been hours away from where I was “supposed” to be. I actually needed to be in the town of Kingscourt, which is northwest of Dublin… Kilkenny is southwest.

Dave and one of his interns, Allie, were waiting for me right outside of baggage claim. They had been there since 6:30am, Ireland time. Remember I was close to two hours behind their flight and they had no idea. I was extremely grateful to see them and also absolutely sorry their whole team had to wait for me. I definitely don’t feel I’m that important.

Now, about Ireland! Leaving the airport I was able to breathe some of the freshest air I’ve ever inhaled. The temperature is around 58-64 degrees Fahrenheit here and so far it hasn’t rained once. There seems to be no humidity, but the air is also not dry, and the wind doesn’t chap your skin. Altogether, it’s probably the most incredible summer someone could experience. If you don’t like the cold, however, you may want to reconsider visiting this beautiful, green island. This is more than likely the warmest it will get all year and they say they have “mild winters”… but my guess is that’s a very relative statement.

I have played soccer every day since I’ve been here, learned a few new tricks and I’ve had some great conversations about dodgy haircuts and working at nunneries. It’s very enlightening and very different from the States. I’m glad for it.

All of the local youth I’ve talked to seem very excited about having another American around. They are just as interested in our culture as I am in theirs. They are all very eager to know about what my life is like in the U.S. Philip is a phenomenal soccer player. Tara works as a cook and receptionist for a nunnery. Romeo is a quiet and confident young man who seems to be asking all the right questions and Juudit, his sister, is a young model from Estonia. Nathan is the oldest, at 23 and seems to have his head squarely on his shoulders. He definitely behaves more maturely than most 23 year olds I know, but that may be because he has a degree in engineering, leads his church’s praise team, and is heavily involved in running the Youth Drop-In Center, called FUSE, in Kingscourt.

I have met several other young people, but to mention them all would take another hour worth of reading… and I’m only starting my third day here in Ireland! Absolutely exhausted, but always geared to learn more and see more and do more relationship building with these people.

On a business note, I’ve been told Cavan (the county where Kingscourt is located) is notably the “most stingy county in Ireland… there are lit’rally hundreds of jokes about Cavan men,” as John (who promptly denied being from Cavan) pointed out to me. All of the young people have done their best to persuade me not to consider bringing any business here.

The best options for business seem to be Dublin, Carrick, or Galway. These places have college communities and it is where the youth go once they finish their high school educations. This tells me they are places for discovery and self-searching. This is much like how Americans flock to college towns, except the Irish I have met are much more interested in their educations than in their ability to socialize. They are all very good at interaction, and have no need to tryto build relationships. This is very encouraging.

Verbal notes:

Wha-her = water

Dodgy = absolutely bad

What’s the crack? = What’s up?

Sorry = excuse me for getting in your way

Excuse me = I’m stepping away for a moment