Day fourteen: Ireland

Ireland bound!

I left Shane's house at 8:30am. Got to the airport 30 minutes later. I was feeling kind of out of it in the cab and even at the airport. I mean, seriously, I've been going non-stop for the past 2 weeks and half the time I really don't know if I'm coming or going. I don't know what day it is, I have no clue what time it is, don't know if I'm supposed to be tired from jet lag or if I'm just tired because I'm...well...tired.

Anyway...blah to the blah.

I was excited to see the rest of my Irish family in their appropriate setting. I'm staying with my dad's sister, Joan, and her husband, Shamus. Joan is as maternal as they get. She will not let you lift a FINGER in her house (or even outside of her house). She takes care of you. She'll shop and cook for hours and serve you and tell stories and hug ya and tell you you look great even when you have smudged black eyeliner on your nose and drool on your chin and crust in your eyes. She's pretty amazing. Shamus ain't too shabby either. He's about as authentically cheerful as they get. I love 'em.

They met me at the Dublin airport and then quickly took me to a supermarket near their house to get my crazy healthy food. Here's Joan putting some "lovely bread" in a "lovely" bag. She calls most things lovely. : )

We got the groceries and then made our way over to their house. As soon as we walked in the door Joan started cooking. She made me broiled salmon with brussels sprouts, asparagus, and carrots. Even as I was eating she was asking if I needed anything. She kept bringing me different items that we had purchased (well, she purchased everything, she wouldn't let me pay for a thing) and every few minutes would ask, "Do you need anything, Jona? Some tea? Some nuts? Water? Boiled chicken?" She's too much. : )

After eating, her son, Brian (my other cousin), came over to say hello.

Here we are:

Brian lives in Ireland with his wife and three children. He's very warm and friendly and has a lovely Irish accent. The accent's not too too thick, though, because he lived in Seattle for a bunch of years.

I then asked Brian to take a photo of me, Shamus and Joan. Notice the weird "sexy" position I'm in. I totally was not intending on posing that way, but Joan quickly yelled out, "Jona, stand in front of me and cover up my belly!" and that's what I came up with on the spot:

Here's another awkward pose:

It looks like I have a bad back or something. Jesus.

Here's a photo of my dad:

My dad died in 1986. I only met him once when I was eleven-years-old. It was a strange encounter, but I'm glad I was able to meet him before he passed.

And here's my bedroom for the next week. (Notice my dad's artwork on the wall. He was heavy into crosses and crucifixion themes. Oy!)

That's it. I'm off to sleep now. Gotta get up early to make my way over to the passport office with Joan. I'm working on getting my Irish passport. I'll then have dual citizenship and be able to come and go anywhere in Europe without any hassle at all. Also means I'll be able come over and take advantage of the free health care whenever I please(!). : D

Until tomorrow...