April 9th

Luke Sideropoulos and Paul Tegan

After a long and tiring flight, we arrived at the Dublin airport, 4/9, a little after 8:00 am.

As we walked through customs, we anxiously waited to see our host brothers. Once we passed

through our final checks, we were greeted by our host brothers and families. We were all very

excited to be reunited with our brothers. After quite some time of welcoming, we departed with

our host families for the weekend. The weekend brought different adventures for different

people. For example, Jake Freedmen went horseback riding, while Paul Tegan learned about

Ireland's two most prominent and traditional sports, Gaelic Football and Hurling. "Learning the

sports and then playing was a time I will never forget," he remarks. Paul also shares an

experience where he tries a spice bag, an Irish dish that is essentially a bag full of chicken and

chips that is doused in spices and curry, something he says was "quite nutritious to the taste

buds." On Sunday, all of the students and their host brothers met to watch the Gaelic Games.

The stadium is huge and was packed with thousands of fans. It was a very important match

between Ath Cliath, Dublin, and Dun na Ngall. We all watched attentively at this unique Irish

sport. The weather was very cold and windy, but that did not stop the loud chanting. During half

time, we all rushed to buy hot chocolates and tea to warm ourselves up. Fortunately, it was a win

for Dublin, who will now be advancing to the quarter finals.