IRELAND!!!!!! or Why fight the Awesome?

I am going to Ireland in May!!!!

A friend of mine, K, has been requested to design and build a Meditation Garden for the 17th incarnation of a Tibetan artist. He's part of the Dalai Lama's inner circle.

He lives in Ireland with his Irish fairy-like wife.

We will be on the coast in Southwest Ireland. It's beautiful there, I'm told.

There are so many unknowns for this trip. We know we'll be staying on his acreage, but accommodations are unknown. We'll figure out how we'll need to adjust once we are there. Hippie road trip!!

We are going to party in Dublin for the first few days, before we start working.

K has come up with a million ideas for designs so far. That's also an unknown. I have no idea exactly what we'll be creating. It will be beautiful. That's a certainty.

I am a picky eater, and I'm not exactly fond of blood as an ingredient (like for black pudding). It's unknown what I will be able or willing to eat. Although, they do have potatoes, cheese, and bread, so I will have sustenance. I also hope to gain weight while I am there. There is no Mt. Dew (my favorite), so I will have to figure out something else. I plan to try Nash's Red Lemonade. I get to explore the food realm!

I did get an International Driving Permit, which totally cracks me up. I've never been outside the good ol' U S of A before, so driving on the wrong side of the road should be interesting. If I can manage it... It sounds like we'll be renting an Aston Martin to drive while there. It's either that or a BMW. No, seriously... Those are the two choices.

And of course - the unknown unknowns - like international travel. I have no idea what that will entail. I can only hope to not look like a stupid 'Mercan (2 syllables). There will be other unknown unknowns that I have no inkling of so far... (That's what makes them "unknown" *laugh*.)

At this time, the two cultures, Irish and Tibetan, are also pretty big unknowns. I will be researching that before packing. I do not wish to offend through ignorance.

This is how I described it in an email to someone earlier this month:

Ireland is this whirlwind I am currently caught up in... Totally great!!!

Our friend K met the Dalai Lama's best friend, who is the 17th incarnation of a certain Tibetan artist. He has acreage in Ireland, where he currently lives (can't remember the exact reason, but it's also interesting). He wants K to make him a Meditation Garden, which will be no small thing. Lots of different features, different areas, different... Well, we won't know exactly until we get there. She asked me along to help her create the Meditation Garden.

So, basically, we're gonna go hang with the Dalai Lama's posse (who hangs out with Princes - Prince Charles, for example), in Ireland, to create a thing of beauty on his acreage, with cliffs overlooking the ocean, for nearly three weeks.

How does this even happen??? We don't know, either, but why fight the Awesome?

I'M GOING TO IRELAND IN MAY!!!!