So, as I've been in the states now for a bit, I have pondered all the problems I had on my trip to Ireland, and I'd just like to share with you my bad luck. So, it first started when we were leaving Prague to go to Dublin. Being the teacher, and supervisor for the trip, I took up the rear a lot of the time to make sure that we had everyone accounted for. Thus, the first problem. We're boarding the plane and I'm the last one and I give the lady my ticket and she just flips. "Where's the real ticket?" I said this is the real ticket, what are you talking about. There's 20 people in our group, why is mine any different than the rest? "I can't let you on without the real ticket". I said "This is the ticket!! I don't have anything else and no one in my group did either!" I had no idea what i was doing. I was just along for the ride, I didn't make any of the organization for the trip, so I'm just freakin cuz everyone else is on the plane and I'm just chillin, so I say, "hey, find my roommate Mike on the plane, he's got everything". So they finally let me on the plane to find him, and then we come back and they say that maybe because i'm the last of the group, I'm supposed to have some kind of ticket for everyone. But no one ever gave us nothin for this. So, we spend maybe 15 minutes tryin to contact the main desk to figure out what the heck we're supposed to have. Finally, just before the plane's about to leave, they say that it's all good and that we can just go on the plane. No problem. Whew, first obstacle passed, but many more to come.
Interesting Moment #2: We arrive in Dublin and are going through Immigration. There's 2 lines, for EU citizins and non-EU citizens. Of course all our students are EU citizens so they all just walk in the line and flash their passports and boom boom boom, they're through like gravy. While for me and Mike, we were standing in this long line waiting for them to interrogate us. So while we were standing in this line, an interesting thing happened... This Spanish lady starts to walk up, but then realizes that she doesn't have her passport. She lost it. She doesn't speak English and she's just perplexed "What am i supposed to do, I lost my passport, I don't speak English, I don't know what to do" says the spanish lady. So the guy comes out to her and says "what's wrong? You lost your passport?" She responds in Spanish "I don't speak English, I don't know what to do. I don't have my passport". The guy then says, "Well, heck, it's ok, come on through, you don't speak English? No problem, come on in. NO passport? No problem, we'll let anyone who claims to be an EU citizen in our country even if they don't speak English. No problemo." And I'm just standing there perplexed! Then it's my turn to get interrogated. Keep in mind that I speak flawless English. I have this American passport. What could be the problem. I come up there and the guy goes. "So, how long are you going to be here?" I say " Heck, I don't know 5 days...?" He says " Is that a guess? (in a tempered tone). I shoot back quite disgusted "Yea!" He replies sternly "Well which is it?" Then i'm arguing with Mike about if we're leaving on Thursday or Wednesday and the guy is getting more peeved. I said Wed, and I was right, but it was quite the ordeal. Nonetheless, we got through.
Instance #3: Returning to Prague. So once again, I'm the last person to receive their ticket and everyone else is waiting for me. Everyone got their ticket without a hitch and I'm all happy, ready to go home. I hand her my passport and she says, nope, ain't gonna work. You need to go over to that long line over there to the main ticket counter and they'll know what to do. I say "what do you mean they'll know what to do. I'm with this big group, why am i the only one with this problem?" she says, "just go over there". AHHHHH. So I go stand in this long line and finally i get there and she's saying that I have a reservation, but i don't have a seat! Wow, dumb luck I guess. She pulls up our group ticket and says, Yep, we aint got a seat for yuo. I say "well find one for me please". So after 45 extra minutes of hassle, I finally got a seat and was safely aboard going back home.
But wow, what a crazy time I had with those crazy people in Ireland. It was totally worth it though. The trip rocked and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's just one of those funny situations that you don't want to forget, so, I hope you enjoyed. Peace
