An Outpouring of American Love aka Things Not Found In Paris

This past week, I went with Natallie to London and Dublin for some sight-seeing, beer drinking, leprechaun-loving, hostel-staying fun. We arrived in London first and after getting the third (and fourth) degree from customs, we were allowed in the country. Our hostel was a pleasant surprise. It was a new, clean renovated victorian mansion with free internet and the best breakfast ever (basically more than just toast). Awesome. We went to the tower of london and did the beef eater tour which was way cool and gory. Our guide gave us all the details and really painted a picture of what it must have been like for Anne Boleyn and Thomas Moore to walk. I was amazed that the military men who give the tours have to take a four hour test every day for six months to make sure they know everything there is to know about the tower. yikes. We also did the london eye which is a giant ferris wheel with enclosed pods that rotate as you go around. I had fun trying not to be afraid of heights. Not worth the money in my opinion, but it was still pretty cool. We also tried out camden market. It was amazing. It had everything from clothes, hats, socks, souvenirs to furniture and whatever else you could think of buying. We literally walked for four hours and still were not at the end of all the stuff being sold.

Saturday, we headed for Dublin back to the euro and away from the 2 to 1 dollar to pound exchange rate. At the airport, we decided to check out the duty free store and while searching for perfume natallie and were approached by two sales people. They were sooooo excited to meet us. They said, "Oh my god, are you american, that's so cute, we love americans and whenever they come into the store it's like CHRISTMAS. so, can we give you some freebies? perfume, bags, lipstick samples?" It was the exact opposite of the basic parisian reaction to americans and was really refreshing, plus i got a free lip gloss and a handbag. The moral of this story is, if you're ever feeling down, go visit emma and brad in the perfume section of the luton airport.

Then on to Dublin, where the love continued to flow our way, although it was mostly in the form of drunks and old guys. We went to the oldest pub in Ireland called the brazen head and natallie got basically molested by an old guy named Paddy who informed me that i was a true irish woman and that all i wanted was a bit of land and to pop out some wee ones. Paddy knows, he could see it in my eyes. Due to the high BAC, he was only slightly taken aback when I informed him that that was not exactly in my plans right now. Then we ran away from Paddy under the guise of having to meet more friends out or something. I basically looked at my cell phone, said look at the time and yelled that excuse over my shoulder as we sprinted away. go team.

Next we came across "Moo on the Loo" who is someone with a paper mache cow head who sits on a toilet in the middle of the street and you can take pictures with him for some loose change. Which i of course did. On the way back from the bar, the fun had just begun. I noticed coming towards us, was a very very large woman with her very very large breast in a very very large white lacy bra hanging completely out of her shirt. Being the good samaritan that I am, I walked up to her and said let me help you with that and yanked her shirt back into it's proper position. She said oh my god thank you so much, i'm a school teacher and what if the parents could see me now. Natallie and I laughed and tried to walk away, when large and in charge's slim male companion bear hugged Natallie and said, "Oh my god, you're american that is so cute can i hold you." and then proceeded to hold her until i told him large and in charge had left him. then he scampered off.

Oh, but the night was not over yet. It was around 1 in the morning and we returned to the hostel to find our roommates (two undergrads studying in paris, just like me) already asleep. Now I will tell you that I was so hopeful that we could be friends when i met them. They seemed smart and nice. So, when we got ready for bed, I tried to be extra quiet. But what really happened is I tried to put my pajama pants on, tripped over the legs of my own pants, tripped over the chair, knocked it over and fell half naked and butt first into my potential friend's suitcase. Now, i don't know what your parents taught you, but putting your half naked hindquarters in someone's belongings is not the way to make new friends. The girl, sleep mask still on, leapt out of her bed and offered me a hand out of her suitcase, which was good because not only was i stuck, but i was so frozen in horror and in an effort not to burst into hysterical, self-depricating laughter that I couldn't get up. Needless to say, the next morning, I pretended to be asleep while my roommates packed their things up to leave.

After that, Natallie and I went to the Guinness brewery and wandered around Dublin. All in all it was a good time.

In school news, I took my french language test today and I think it went pretty well. I had an interview on thursday and I did it all in french which made me proud. However, the lady told me that my resume was impressive, but she didn't think my french was good enough to be able to do the job. Sadness. Well, i did the best i could. Keep your fingers crossed that i will get an internship in the next 20 days or so. otherwise, I don't know what I'll do. Although, i'm tempted to dress up as marie antoinette and wander around versailles taking pictures with people for tips under the guise of an "entrepeneurship project." Leave any suggestions for other internship opportunities or entrepreneurship ideas:)