Back in Bundoran

SOOO here is another post that I started writing a month and a half ago and never actually published so I'll put up this and then maybe start another post sometime soon1

Well, as much as I forgot it I really truly missed this green, misty island. Met at the airport by Collie and his banana shirt, escorted by Fiddy and already having claimed Jen and Liana (the other American girls in my program), we were quickly on our way to Bundoran and our first week, aka the culture week. While we did attend an awesome conference that included a look into Irish surf culture and a viewing and Q and A session with the movie Waveriders and its director, the week felt more like a chance to settle into the hostel. We got to know the people we´ll be living with for the next 2 months (including Sam, our fourth American) and the mix of Irishmen and Spaniards also staying in the hostel, with a Czech for good measure. I truly feel at home in this place, and I couldn´t say if it´s the people or the familiarity of returning, but I am truly loving it here, other than the terrible cloudy rainy weather, even though last week we had two beautiful sunny days.

Dickie took us hill walking! Known to the typical American as "hiking," rather than go all the way to the better known Cliffs of Moher where you have to pay to climb, we went to Sli

The social life of this place mainly consists in pubbing if you or going and watching waves. I´m not kidding. My new friends have taken me twice to go for a walk down to Main Beach and a quick car ride down the road to see Pmpa and the Black Spot. I have only been to the pub myself once or twice as of yet, one time to see Johnny Gallagher (look him up, he´s a BRILLIANT guitarist and great performer). Other than that, evenings are mainly spent with the majority of the long term residents of the Homefield Hostel sitting around and playing cards, watching TV, or have deep philisophical debates (that actually happened last night, not quite sure if we will repeating that any time soon, ha!)

On Monday we started the actual program, the OITC, or Outdoor Instructor Training Course. Dickie is our instructor.