How to waste a week in Ireland

I've sort of been dreading this week since we arrived on the scene here in Dublin. I knew it was coming, I just didn't know when - it was a waiting game.

This week was spent in bed. Sick. Sniffling and coughing and aching.

It was unavoidable, really. Dorms are breeding grounds for germs. Common area kitchens, toilets, and showers, none of which are cleaned by me in my OCD fashion.

We were a miserable bunch this week and thus I am without any good stories for this post. Kalli spent the first half of the week suffering from a terrible bout of food poisoning, likely picked up from a fondu restaurant in Paris. The day that she finally recovered, Aditya and I were struck by the flu. Liz and Holly were safely out of the country and escaped the germiness, but the three of us were a sad bunch this week.

I dreaded this iminent week for two reasons. First, because there is nothing worse than being sick in a dorm. Second, because it meant wasting a week in Ireland. We all had to cancel travel plans due to illness, and none of us was happy about it.

Because Kalli has been healthy since Tuesday, but Aditya and I have been bed-ridden since Tuesday, none of us have really left this campus in about a week. By Saturday night cabin fever was in full effect. It was the night before Halloween and though we were without costume, Kalli was desperate to leave the dorm and Aditya and I were just healthy enough to make that happen. We ventured to main street, Blackrock, for a Halloween pint (or, in my case, a Halloween Jameson).

It wasn't actually a problem that we were without costume. Of all the people we saw out that night, it wouldn't take more than 5 fingers to count the number of them in costume. We were sort of let down. Though we weren't partaking in any Halloween debauchery ourselves, we were really hoping to witness some. No such luck.

I'm a silver-lining kind of a person, and there is one here. Because we've been cooped up in close quarters for a week and because we've missed out on adventure for a week, we'll approach this week with renewed vigor. The three of us are intent on having fun and making memories - and this will be a good week to do so. Kalli jets off to Prague on Thursday and Aditya and I are hoping to take a bus out west at the end of the week. We all promise to have a good time, make some good stories, and take lots of pictures to share with you in the future.

Cheers!