Why yes, the Guinness here is just as good as they say it is.

Best. Orientation. Ever.

In addition to all the boring and completely necessary topics such as registration and fire safety, we got educated on:

It's Not That We're Vulgar, We're Just Irish! - Apparently the Irish swear a lot. It's nothing personal. And I quote, "If we could say 'f**k' in the middle of a word, we would."Similarly, if someone exclaims "F**k Off!!" mid-conversation, they may just be expressing disbelief and surprise. Or they might be telling you to go away. Pay attention to inflection.

Vocabulary - a "fish slice" is a spatula, chips are french fries, crisps are chips, a chip dish is a deep fat fryer, and Irish crack is not American crack. Actually spelled "craic," it means "a good time" or "fun." So, if an Irish person approaches you and asks if you want some good crack (as they asked my friend Amanda) they are not offering you drugs, but asking if you want to have some fun.

Alcohol and Drug Use - "Don't try anything you wouldn't try at home.... Well, maybe don't do that either." The university recognizes that this is many American student's first experience with legal drinking. They have given us helpful safety tips and provide an emergency cab (not to be abused!!) so if you have lost your wallet and your way, you may call them and they will bring you back to UL free of charge. Yet another memorable quote: "It's ok if you don't drink. It's 'cool' to not drink. Although, even if you choose to not drink, do try to make your way down to the pub anyway. The pub is really the Irish Community Center."

In all seriousness, the UL staff was professional, helpful, and fully informative about all aspects of university life. I admire the way they did not "pull punches" so to speak as I feel American colleges do a bit. They know students are going to misbehave and have shenanigans, and they want to make sure we are as safe and prepared as possible for both that kind of situation, and life as a foreign student in general.

Final favorite quote, in reference to us trying classes before we sign up for them: ".... because some professors are.... dickheads...."

Then we had a fabulous tour of the fog shrouded campus (I still don't know where I'm going) and free dinner at Stables, one of 3 on-campus pubs. Yes, we have pubs on campus. Apparently people will pop in for a drink before class?? After my last semester at CMU, I guess I can understand that...

I had my first REAL Guinness this evening and it was DELICIOUS!!! Very different from American Guinness. Words cannot describe. Possibly a rainbow formed between my heart and the glass, it was really that good. Of course, my alcohol tolerance being what it is, one Guinness was enough for my night at Stables, so don't be alarmed responsible adult family members reading this!  :)