RAG week, aka drunk-people-give-money week

         So as many of you know, this week is Raise and Give Week (called RAG Week) where, essentially, the student body raises money for charity while being drunk all. The. Time. Seriously, I went to my 4pm class and people were already wasted. I have 2 tests this week and am also sick so no worries family, I’m not one of those people. Also I don’t think I can be drunk for an entire week! Or even every night for a week. That’s just too much for me haha. I did go out Tuesday night after training with Rafa and Katie (sorry for ditching you on Skype, James!!), though we missed the 11pm cheap entry into the toga party. Though apparently everything gets really packed at about 10:30 so we may not have gotten in anyway. We sipped wine (cheap AND effective) and chatted in their apartment for a while before decided to head back to An Brog. Funny side note: apparently brog means “shoe” but is a feminine noun so in reality it should read An Bhrog, pronounced “ahn vrohg.” My Irish teacher told us we should go up to one of the bouncers and tell them that, though I don’t think I actually will…they’re huge! Anyway, we headed there and found ourselves in the front bar that apparently no one goes to, cause it was almost empty. We were hanging around with our pints when a couple girls asked us to watch their drinks, and told us we could sit at their booth, which is basically like the best gift ever in a pub. They never really came back, so we started talking to the people next to us, specifically the trashed girl who was drawing on herself with a glowstick and then accidentally threw it at us haha. The girls challenged us to an arm wrestling contest, which was hilarious. These girls were tiny, especially compared to me and Rafa. Obvs we beat them, though they were hilarious about it. They found it especially awesome that Rafa lives in an apartment with her family…they seriously were obsessed with that fact. Also, everyone was appalled that in America you can’t drink until you’re 21. That is just a crime against nature, apparently. Then Rafa and competed and I totally won, juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust sayin’. Yee-ah. The pub played the weirdest collection of music—Jackson Five, random other oldies, and Backstreet Boys. We danced for a bit and sang loudly to ‘Valerie’ before going to, where else, Tasty Kebab. Garlic cheesey chips are all I need at the end of the night, fo serious.

         Woke up Wednesday still ill, no better, no worse. Finally did laundry, though my sheets came out with weird black spots on them. Odd. W/e they’re clean and I don’t ask many questions lol. Thursday the bus left for our match against NUIG (National University of Ireland at Galway) at 9:30, and I was still coughing up a storm. However, with 20 people on the team everyone plays and I started cause there aren’t many locks. I was hoping that they’d notice I was dying and maybe take pity on me haha. Finally got to Galway, warmed up, played ‘Gaelic rugby’ aka something similar to Gaelic football (look it up, guys) but with a rugby ball. At this point I was rather sure I could not make it a whole game, but I totes was starting at least. It ended up being really really fun! Despite my lack of breath, I did okay and even got the ball this time haha. We ended up winning 10-0, which means we qualify for playoffs!!! Wooooooooooooooooooohoo!! One of the girls, Ali, scored a try, which was extra awesome cause it was her bday. Also, the pitch was right next to a lake and a freaking CASTLE. Only in Ireland… I got taken out about 10 min into the 2^nd half and got a chance to breathe. There were so many penalties ahhhhh! The ref was kind of a jerk, actually, and didn’t really call the game well for either team. He missed a bunch of possible penalties, and didn’t keep the scrum safe really.

         The bus ride back was absolutely insane. Like totally, completely crazy, especially since it was Ali’s birthday. Most of the girls had some sort of booze in cans, and as they finished a can they’d tape their new one to the old one, creating a giant staff. However had the most at the end got mad respect. We sang a lot too, mostly pop songs. Orlagh went around and we all said a word and someone would start singing a song with that word in it. Weirdest part was that the Irish girls kept singing church songs, like Ave Maria and such. So funny! We did have to stop like 5 times for them to go to the bathroom. I do love the girls on the team, though I def don’t know them super well, but they still include me which is great. I did not go out, but instead showered and went to bed like right away, well, after eating my delicious mashed potatoes. Well, I am covered in bruises and going to watch more Jersey Shore cause it’s my new guilty pleasure haha.

Slán go fóill!