Postscript

We spent our last evening of the trip in a hostel in downtown Dublin near the Busarus. We were met at the hostel by various host parents who returned items of clothing that we had left behind, giving some of us another chance to say goodbye. We had a delicious dinner around the corner at The Bon Crubeen (pig’s trotter). After a brief last look at O’Connell Street and the downtown area, we turned in early. We had a chance at dinner to say thanks to Barry O’Leary, who had come to Boston in October and also helped with the Dublin planning, and Louise Deane, the school administrator who planned the entire trip as well as serving as a host parent. They took great care of us.
After a brief sleep in cramped quarters, we were up at 4 AM to catch our shuttle to the airport. We were met there at 6 AM by Bala Kumar, an Indian Jesuit who had spent time with our group during the trip. He came all the way from the other side of the city to see us off.
We did some last minute shopping at duty free before we boarded for a long (7 hours) but uneventful flight.
Our adventures began with our delayed descent into Newark Airport. Our 1:40 flight was delayed numerous times, prompting numerous unprintable comments about Continental Airlines, the customer service, and Newark. 1:40 quickly became 2:30, then 3:30….3:50…4:20…4:30…and finally, 6:00 PM.


Our original plane never made it from Toronto, and we were promised another from Buffalo before Mr. McAllister braved the angry crowds at the Continental Service Center to get us on the 6:00 flight. The good news is that the bags made the transfer and made it to Logan. All in all, we had a smooth trip filled with great memories of people and places we won’t soon forget. Thanks to all the families who supported us every step of the way.