A simple request...

At the JFK airport, where I connected for Ireland, I got Chinese food (surprise, surprise). My fortune was "There appear to be many clouds, but they quickly pass." I apparently stuck it in my pocket, because I found it when I was unpacking one month ago. I had taped it to my laptop as an encouragement. Well, yesterday, in good ol' Irish fashion, it poured rain all day- ALL DAY. It was incredibly depressing. After a rousing tournament of Uno at Derek's last night, I was walking back to the apartment with Ruben, and of course we were complaining about all the rain, when he mentioned that maybe the water cycle had brought me water from the coast of North Carolina. That warmed my heart, just a little. Today, I woke up to a sky full of sunshine. Eager to take advantage of the nice weather, I met two friends in the city center, one for lunch, one for walking around. When I was waiting for the second friend to get her smoothie, I opted to sit outside. I settled into a little whicker chair outside the cafe and waited. I watched the people walk by, the kids that were chasing pigeons, people lugging suitcases back from the bus station. I listened to laughter and chatter and the nearby street performer singing Johnny Cash. And I realized that Ireland, although seemingly unfriendly to me, isn't all trouble. So with a deep breath, I closed my eyes, lifted my face to the cloudless sky, and asked a simple request- "Ireland, can we be friends?" Let's see how it goes.