July 4, 2008

I arrived at the Newark airport this morning and man was it a process getting checked in. There were quite a few disgruntled customers over the airport change and so many were trying to check an enormous amount of luggage which caused the line to be backed up and delayed even further. However, once on the plane it was one of the most enjoyable flights I have ever been on. The service was great, it was really nice having a personal screen to watch movies, and we were constantly fed. First we got a blueberry muffin and drink, drink and pretzels with a moist towel, Lunch: water, coke, chicken and rice (which I didn’t like so I got the veggie option which was great tortellini), salad, roll, cheese and crackers, and desert. I watched 10,000 B.C. and American Gangster.

Once we landed in London I was directed to the wrong terminal and told I needed to run to the right terminal or I would certainly miss my next flight to Ireland. When attempting to go through the UK Border Agency I was detained because I had no written documentation from the camp. I should have told them I was going to Ireland just for pleasure but he seemed nice at first so I told the truth but then he told me that I had to have a government issued letter saying it was okay for me to come volunteer at camp. The guy was extremely rude such as when I asked if he had any idea how long this will take, he responded “as long as I want it to and don’t worry about making your flight because you’re going to be here for a while.” Lucky for me he went to talk to his manager in the back somewhere and someone came out to fill his position. I was able to talk this gentleman in to being on my side and he went in the back and got the approval to let me go. As I was proceeding through the rude guy came out and told me that officials would be waiting for me when I arrived in Ireland for further investigation. However, I thankfully had no problems in Ireland and wasn’t even checked. I took a bus to what I was told would be close to the hostel I was staying at but it turned out to be over a 30 minute walk. It wouldn’t have been as bad had it not been 1 in the morning, raining, me in Croc’s with no grip and slipping so much it was basically like ice skating the entire way there.