Alright, so I know some of you are dying for an update after seeing my Facebook page...so here goes:

On Wednesday I decided to join the International Society on campus, and they told Jill and I that there was going to be a Rugby game on Friday night at Munster Stadium and they were selling tickets that included transportation and a free beer for 16 Euro. After thinking about it and talking about it with my Mom I decided that since its not something that I am really into, and not the reason behind me coming to Ireland that I should save my money for another trip that migt mean more to me. So fast forward to Friday (the day of the game). I got an e-mail that morning saying that the International Office of Education (the folks responsible for helping me get here) had held a drawing to give away eight free tivkets to the game. Turns out I won one! I was pretty excited, now I got to go to the game for free, so I still got to save my money. Jill didn't have a ticket so we called the head of the International Society (the club we joined) and told him that she had been "sick" the night before and missed signing up for the tickets. He said no problem I actually ahve three extras, I'll hold one for you. So we were excited that both of us were going, but disappointed because we were going to be in different sections. About 100+ UL students bought there tickets from the International Society and so they were all seated together in the same section of the stadium. Me, a French guy (who spoke partial English) and a Japanese guy (who barely spoke English) were opposite them in the stadium, and then the other five winners were directly across from us (think of a triangle, or three corners of a rectangle). The people from the Society and the Office said to just stay with whoever was in our group and then after the game we would all meet up outside the stadium or by/at the buses that they arranged to transport us.

Now, the great part of this story is that the game was AWESOME!! I had a fantastic time and was standing only a couple for feet from the field. Essentially I had pirmo "standing" :) The family in front of me was tickled pink that I was American and was eager to not only explain the game to me, but also to make sure I understood how much more manly and tough it was compared to American Football. SO the game was a lot of fun and I was really glad that I got to go. Munster was playing the Cardiffblues and they won 24 to 13. It was hysterical to watch the Irish as they cheered on Munster, they are VERY into Munster. I was told prior to starting here that you must never say anything negative about Munster :)

So the game was great, I took a lot of great pictures, which at the moment will not upload onto here, but keep checking back maybe after I finish this I'll give it a go. Once the game finished it was obviously a mad house trying to get out of the stadium, especially because half the people there were drunk and the other half couldn't wait to get drunk, lol. So my little group decided to walk around the stadium to where the UL student had walked in (you excited from the same spot you entered). We waited until almost everyone was out, but we didn't recognize anyone. Then a group of five or six French guys walked up to the French guy in my group, and apparently they all went to UL and they just got seperated from the group on the way out. So after conferring for a few minutes (they could not understand me and vice versa, gotta love a language barrier), we decided to walk up the street and look for the buses that we came on. We figured we could meet up with our group that way. So we found the bus and the driver said that he wasn't planning on leavning for another hour b/c the rest of the group was at a pub having their free drink. But he said that if we would just hold on for a minute he might be able to arrange for a little bus to take us back to UL if we wanted. I attempted to explain this to the guys and after a few tries they understand and said yea, thats great, back to UL. So the driver walked away to go see if he had a bus for us, and came back a minute later and said yes he did. I decided that since I didn't know which of the twenty plus pubs Jill and the other UL students were at, that I should probably just stick with my group of people rather then wander off by myself in the city at 9pm at night.

Yup, this is what they call a lose-lose situation, but hey you can't go to a foreign country and not have something disasterous happen :)

So I get on this little bus with these guys and we start heading for UL. At least we were heading for UL until we made a right turn, where I swear we should have gone straight. So I ask one of the guys a million times (or so it felt) why we were turning and he explained that they convinced the driver that to drop them off in the middle of the city so they could get some fast-food and then go to clubs and parties. I was like, great...not where I want to be AT ALL, and if I go I'll have a search party after me. So I asked the driver if he was still going to UL and he said no, he was heading back in to the main station or whatever they call it. So I got out and tried to ask one of the boys for a phone. Except that he could not figure out what I wanted and finally some Dutch guy handed me his, and I looked at it and the whole phone was in DUTCH! I had noooo clue how to use it and I just looked at him and was like, ummm?? So he took it and goes "number?" so I gave him the number for Plassey Cabs (which thankfully I have memorized since they are the only cab compnay Jill and I will use). So I got on the phone with Plassey and tell them I need a cab to take me back to UL. He asks me where I am, and I said I wasn't sure but that I was in front of a night club and I gave him the name. So then he asked me for my phone number and I said I didn't have a phone, so he asked me for the number of the phone I was using and I said I didn't know b/c it was a strangers. Then he panicked and was like, whats your name, what do you look like, do you have anything distinguishing with you. So I told him my name and said the only distinguishing thing I had on me was my pick bag, and so he told me just to hold on tight and a cab would be there in two minutes and that if anyone looked like they might bother me, to just run into the club and I would be okay. So I thanked him, handed the ohone back to the Dutch guy and then all they guys told me to have a good night and walked away. They just left me on the sidewalk, in the middle of the City of Limerick, after 9pm at night, with drunk people, homeless people and other wierd scary people. I was like OMG how could you do that!!! So for the first minute I was okay, and then I started to get nervous and I was thinking, oh my god I'm going to be the next natalit freaking hollaway! I though that was it, I was going to get robbed or beat up or worse. And then (thank god!) this cab comes really fast around the corner, and I hopped in and he was like are you okay? did anyone bother you? I told him that I was fine, no one bothered me and he radioed in to the dispatcher to tell him that I was safe. I asked him if he could drop me off in the front of the Paddocks which is where Jill and I agreed to meet up if we couldn't ride the same bus together on the way back. Then I realized that I had given Jill the last of my money so she could buy her ticket since she left hers in the apartment, and so I had nothing to pay him with. Luckily he wasn't even phased and offered to drop me off anywhere where there was an ATM so I could withdraw and I said thanks, but theres an ATM right next to the Paddocks I could use if he wouldn't mind waiting; which he didn't. Once we got on Campus he called the dispatcher again to tell him I was safe on campus and then offered to wait with me until Jill came, but I said that was okay. I was in a safe spot on campus, right next to The Stables (an on campus pub) and around lots of good, nice people.

Luckily I wasn't waiting long, Jill got there about 10-15minutes later and was shocked and floored when she heard the sotry and now vows to never leave me alone again :)

So yes, that was my lovely adventure in Limerick, what trip isn't complete without one??