Also see Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9

Day 10: Galway
On the tenth day in Ireland we had to do actual schoolwork. Remember, this was a study abroad trip. I know, it was easy for me to forget too because of all the fun we were having. In Dublin we visited a hospice agency for a couple hours, but we just listened to a short lecture and learned about the health care system.

In Galway we were visiting another hospice, but this time we had to do some service learning. We spent several hours there, first taking a tour and then meeting some patients. Which was actually quite awkward. Not because of the end of life stuff, but because they basically said “You’re their entertainment for the day. Just go in there and chat with them.” Um… I hate small talk with strangers, I don’t care how healthy they are. And honestly, most of them didn’t seem to care we were there, so it was weird. After that uncomfortable experience, we had lunch and then met several of the staff and chatted with them for a few hours. And all I really have to show for it is this picture of the hospice:

Exciting right? Back at the hostel we all made dinner together, then went to a pub to see some traditional Irish dancing. The tiny dance floor was thrown down in the middle of the pub and about every 20 minutes this young couple would hop up and start dancing. It was so much fun.

I was finally feeling well enough to go out. Still not great, but it was our last day in Galway, and I LOVED Galway, so I wanted to enjoy myself. I drank only 7-Up and in between dances I got hooked on a crossword puzzle I found on the back of a coaster. Yes, this is how I spent much of my last evening in Galway:

But don’t worry, I also had a lot of fun hanging out with my crew. At one point some local hopped on the piano and started playing Billy Joel’s Piano Man (which, first of all, I now call him Billy Jo-elle because that’s how one of the Dubliners we met pronounced it. So cute.). There was another group of Americans in the pub, and we all started swaying to the music and singing along. Not in an obnoxious loud American way, but in a, hey we can be proud of this song way.

I got to talk to the Giraffe for a few minutes before going to bed, so all in all it was a good day even if we didn’t do any site-seeing. We made up for in the next few days – they were all about seeing some pretty cool Irish sites. And I took LOTS of pictures so get ready.