Listen: the only antidote for an all night Transatlantic flight is not a pleasant one.  The quick cure is to put aside your fatigue, your frazzle, your exhaustion and stay up another whole day.  Our Xavier group took to the task with aplomb!

First, we hit the Dublin City Streets and strolled to St. Stephen’s Green where we did a little group reading and participated in a writing exercise modeled after Guy Talese’s “New York is a City of Things Unnoticed.”  Only, our intrepid writers replaced Talese’s after hours New York with the bustle of Dublin’s most happening park–home to lunching business types, strolling grandmothers, tourists from all over the world, and some Irish history reenactments.  Let’s just say these students noticed some things.

After a good lunch, we shored up in Mountjoy Park for a little more quiet, and some proper introductions. There was an in-country program orientation and a teeny tiny dog who barreled into our circle.  We really didn’t mind!

After a hearty dinner of traditional Irish foods and our inaugural group meeting, we said goodnight to these weary travelers.  We were impressed with the energy, kindness, and perseverance of this group and are looking forward to tomorrow!

Before:

 

After: