Ireland Trip: Day 22
What's the most surreal thing I've experienced in Ireland? Three Irish men singing "Okie from Muskogee" to me in a bar.
Last night, some students in the program and I went out for a low-key evening and got something unexpected in return. After hitting three other pubs around town, we ended up at The Stage, a multi-purpose place that serves as bar, restaurant, theater and dance hall all in one. The bar was packed with various kinds of people, young and old, sober and drunk, and it took a few minutes before we managed to find a table with enough room for us.
The girls I went with last night are all very different people with unique personalities. Janine: From Boston, she is the only black person on the trip, giving her a different point of view on intercultural issues. Christine: Blonde and perky, this girl from Arizona is quiet and polite and most resembles a dainty flower. Megan: Originally from Florida, she attends school in Washington state and is the only person in the program so far to end up with an Irish boyfriend.
As we sat at our table in The Stage, decked out to the nines, fully expecting excitement to come to us, we sadly noted that it seemed as though nothing would happen to us. Just as we were about to depart, a drunk man came up to Janine and sparked up conversation. He pointed to a friend of his who had been staring at her for a few minutes. This prompted him to come over and begin making conversation with us, and before we knew it all their friends had pulled up chairs to the table.
Before I go on in this story, I'd like to make a point clear. I am friends with a bunch of guys and, in that capacity, I lose almost all femininity I have. As much as I enjoy being considered one of the guys, and as much as I love my friends, sometimes it sucks to be ignored in the female sense. So when some fairly cute guys paid attention to me and the other girls last night, I was surprised to find I remembered how to flirt - and surprised at how much I enjoyed myself.
Around this time is when the singing began. While discussing where I was from, the guy sitting next to me broke out into song, and not even my other friends from America knew the song. I sang along with them, smiling and laughing the whole time. At one point in the night, I thought how glad I was we waited just that little bit longer before heading home.
The night ended eventually and we parted our separate ways, but the impression of the night has stayed with me. The next time I decide to go out in Ireland, I will be looking for a similar experience - a relaxed atmosphere, lots of talking and laughter, and no pressure at the end of the night. When I return home and go out to the bar with friends, I know I'll have a good time, but it won't be the same as listening to a Merle Haggard song in an Irish accent.
Last night, some students in the program and I went out for a low-key evening and got something unexpected in return. After hitting three other pubs around town, we ended up at The Stage, a multi-purpose place that serves as bar, restaurant, theater and dance hall all in one. The bar was packed with various kinds of people, young and old, sober and drunk, and it took a few minutes before we managed to find a table with enough room for us.
The girls I went with last night are all very different people with unique personalities. Janine: From Boston, she is the only black person on the trip, giving her a different point of view on intercultural issues. Christine: Blonde and perky, this girl from Arizona is quiet and polite and most resembles a dainty flower. Megan: Originally from Florida, she attends school in Washington state and is the only person in the program so far to end up with an Irish boyfriend.
As we sat at our table in The Stage, decked out to the nines, fully expecting excitement to come to us, we sadly noted that it seemed as though nothing would happen to us. Just as we were about to depart, a drunk man came up to Janine and sparked up conversation. He pointed to a friend of his who had been staring at her for a few minutes. This prompted him to come over and begin making conversation with us, and before we knew it all their friends had pulled up chairs to the table.
Before I go on in this story, I'd like to make a point clear. I am friends with a bunch of guys and, in that capacity, I lose almost all femininity I have. As much as I enjoy being considered one of the guys, and as much as I love my friends, sometimes it sucks to be ignored in the female sense. So when some fairly cute guys paid attention to me and the other girls last night, I was surprised to find I remembered how to flirt - and surprised at how much I enjoyed myself.
Around this time is when the singing began. While discussing where I was from, the guy sitting next to me broke out into song, and not even my other friends from America knew the song. I sang along with them, smiling and laughing the whole time. At one point in the night, I thought how glad I was we waited just that little bit longer before heading home.
The night ended eventually and we parted our separate ways, but the impression of the night has stayed with me. The next time I decide to go out in Ireland, I will be looking for a similar experience - a relaxed atmosphere, lots of talking and laughter, and no pressure at the end of the night. When I return home and go out to the bar with friends, I know I'll have a good time, but it won't be the same as listening to a Merle Haggard song in an Irish accent.
Labels: vacation
posted by Sarah Elizabeth @ 8:59 PM
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