**Disclaimer** I am a bit blunt and sarcastic sometimes. (It's the Irish in me! ;0) That being said, this is meant to be all in fun and a "real" and authentic representation of one Texan's comparison of Ireland to America. I hope I do not offend any of my Irish peeps, but sometimes you just gotta tell it like it is, or else what's the point? Anything "negative" or "derogatory" is all in good fun, and, if anything, is meant really to demonstrate just how anal retentive we Americans tend to be!
Things I LOVE about Ireland so far!
1. The crisp, clean air.
2. The generous, gracious people!!
3. The way no one gets worked up about being slightly late, how rules are meant as suggestions, and how no one seems to tiptoe around in movie theatres or church, bust just walk on in and talk outloud as if no one notices.
4. How people actually TAKE holidays! And even take off early on Friday.
5. The daffodils in Mar and April, tulips in May, gorse in June, and roses in summer.
6. The plethora of Catholic Churches....each one with its own mystique.
7. The buzz in there air when a big sporting match is coming up.
8. How understanding and patient everyone seems to be toward children.
9. The croissants!! The brown bread!! The SCONES!!!!
10. The fresh butter, milk, and cheese!!!
11. How pouring a proper cuppa tea is taken seriously....freshly boiled water, and milk and sugar are ALWAYS served, rather than servers asking what you will take in your tea, or even what kind of tea you want, or assuming you want iced tea.
12. The crazy signage that keeps things so interesting while driving!
13. The stone walls.
14. The constantly changing weather minute by minute.
15. The blue skies, the mist, the fog, the going inside to get out of the rain.
16. The accents. The sayings:
Brilliant!
T(h)anks a million!
grand
Cheers/Cheerio
call on ya/ring ya (come see you/get a hold of you via telephone)
Are you alright? (How can I help you? Do you need anything? But they always sounds concerned, so you think THEY think something's wrong)
Sorry (excuse me)
the jacks, the press, jumpers, the boot, rubbish (toilet, cabinet, sweater, trunk, trash)
Yeah I will! (means No I won't.)
do the washing (doing the laundry)
up the duff (preggers -- Thomas learned this one at WORK, of all places!)
donkeys years (a really really long time)
 |
| Flapjacks |
courgette=zucchini
aubergine=eggplant
ETC ETC
17. The gorgeous scenery!
19. How walkable things are. Walking everywhere!!! We have LOVED this so far!
20. City centre!
21. The plethora of historical, religious, and artistic sight seeing opportunities.
21. Bye, bye-bye, bye, bye. When we were looking for a house, I pointed out to Thomas that whenever either our agents hung up the phone, she said bye-bye over and over. Thomas started to pay attention, and we both laughed over our observation. Well, a little while into Thomas's job, he was at a horse race and another man pulled him aside and said, "Thomas, I want you to listen closely to this because it is very important to know now that you live here. Irish people never want to be the one to hang up the phone, so anytime you hang up just say, 'Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye!'" We were rollin' over that one because we had noticed it, and it was so true! But it is as if no one else seems to notice it, and he was let in on the secret. Our friend, Al, asked later, "Is that a universal Irish thing? I thought it was just my family!"
22. The FISH AND CHIPS!!!!
23. The challenges.
24. The old bridges, churches, and ruins.
25. The Irish Sea
26. Coal or peat fires in the fireplaces of pubs and restaurants.
27. Exploring all the different items and brands in the supermarkets.
28. Full Irish breakfast.
29. My favorite -- How breakfast often STARTS being served around 930 and is served either late or all day!
30. How total strangers will start up conversations with yiz.
For instance, a man walked up to me at a newsstand, got right in my face, and asked (about 9 inches from me), "Do you know anyone who can trim hedges?" While I had not been here long enough to have someone do garden work for me, it just so happened that I had been given the name of someone as a reference, so I told him I did have a name, but it was at home. "Are yiz a local?" "I am now, but only recently. I'm from the States." "Well, I would love to have that name. Do you think you could text it to me whenever you get home?" I found out his name is Liam, and I shared with him that I did not, as of yet, have a mobile number, so I would need to call him. I got his number, we parted ways, and then I later saw him standing outside one of the pubs in town, and he yelled from across the street, "Helllooooo, Amy! I'll look forward to your ring!" Later, I did ring him. He was driving, so he asked if I could ring him in about an hour. I did, spoke briefly to his wife, and she passed on the phone. Liam and I exchanged nice words, and I gave him the number.
About 3 weeks later I got a phone call from Liam to report to me that he did indeed find someone to trim the hedges! Funny thing was, it wasn't even my guy he used, but he just wanted to make sure I knew he found someone. I told him I had been lying awake nights worrying about that so I was relieved to know it. (haha) Again, we exchanged nice words and stated we must have tea sometime.
31. The green. The flowers.
32. The little markets for buying bread, produce, gourmet foods, flowers, etc.
33. The Luas light rail and the Dart train.
34. The grocery store/food markets right inside the mall department stores!
35. Views of the sea within walking distance. Being able to access both the beach and the mountains (defo not the Rockies, but a nice sense of being out in the mountains with coniferous trees such as pine, fir, and spruce).
36. Accommodating, understanding, forgiving people. Twice I have been without cash or enough money to pay for something, and they told me to just bring it by next time. Rarely have I felt "scolded" or frowned upon for making a mistake, being late, etc.
37. The TEA!
38. Something interesting around every corner....an interesting house or cottage, a historical site, a view.
39. The Guinness, the Bulmers cider, the Jameson whiskey.
40. How every day seems like a new day.
41. No A/C. There is something about not being in a climate controlled environment all day every day that is very good for the soul (as long as you are not in Texas, where even your soul might melt!)
42. How I actually know WHERE my food comes from here (It's all labeled) and can almost shop exclusively from the country, or even from this area.
43. How FRESH the food is! It spoils quickly, though, so you have to replace often, but I find that I feel better eating the food here.
44. Doors and gates in walls leading to who-knows-where, stirring up the imagination.
45. GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association)
46. The Catholic culture. There is a Catholic church (and a pub) in every little town. Yes, there are Church of England churches as well, but this was contrasted for me when we went to London and were only made aware of ONE Catholic church....the Cathedral. It is such a shame that many Catholics have fallen away, hopefully not forever. There is a lot of healing that needs to occur in this country. But the culture that is Catholic Christian still remains. You can see it....in the history, the art, the environment, the attitudes of the people.
47. Related to #46, this is a grounded, down to earth, sensorial, genuine people. Frugality is celebrated, giving and serving others is a way of life. Pretentiousness is a rarity, and where it is exists, it is only in contrast to the rest of the culture. Dublin is a cosmopolitan city and has its cultural and refined aspects, but it will never be a London, NY, or LA. Thomas and I went to an Off Broadway musical, and it was such a great place to people-watch to see what they considered "dressed up." Hilarious what they got away with....really BAD outfits and awkward heels and oversized suits. This ain't Dallas!
48. The pride and comradery of the Irish (and I like to include us in this, too. It is contagious, and we are of Irish heritage after all.) There really is a sense that "we are all in this together." There is a oneness that is palpable, especially moving into a holiday weekend, a big event, or a tragedy (i.e. the Berkley balcony tragedy)
Things I Am Getting Used to in Ireland:
I think I can sum up most of it in one word -- TINY.
This TINY island is full of TINY, backward things:
1. Tiny cars on tiny, narrow roads...and driving on the other side of them!
2. TINY parking spaces!! Ever heard of a 40-point turn around? That is what we did every single time we parked our "people carrier" van in the parking garage of our apartment.
3. Tiny refrigerators
Our fridge at our house is even smaller than at the apartment. It is truly a dorm size and fits under the counter
4. Tiny washing machines
One load @ our apt = 4 pairs of pants
One load @ our house = 2 lg towels
5. Tiny bathrooms, tiny sinks
8. Tiny containers of milk to fit in our tiny fridge. But it is a good thing, because milk is so fresh and good here that it is recommended that you only keep it for 3 days and then replace.
9. Tiny loads of groceries -- the amount depends on how many people are shopping since we are carrying it home in our arms.
10. Tiny bags of produce -- ALL produce is pre-bagged....no weighing....and it is in small portion sizes to allow it to fit in the tiny fridges.
11. Tiny clothing departments in stores. For instance, the girls' clothing dept in a Department store might be 1/3 the size of ours
12. Tiny selections. For any particular item that you are seeking there are generally exactly 2 choices. Sometimes only one....Really only applies to non-food items in general, although it does apply even to food at times.
13. Not tiny, but it is taking getting used to the fire code on new construction that requires that all interior doors be spring loaded to shut automatically. There was one house we looked at that seemed like all doors! And they slammed slammed slammed. Our apartment doors did not slam, but we were constantly opening doors. We have been propping with all kinds of things....kettle bells, shoes, bins. Our house is not nearly as bad, as some of the doors slide, some of them stay open fairly well because the spring isn't tight, and some of them are on carpet so stay open.
14. Tiny consistency in signage! Could be anywhere...to the right, the left, up high, down low, none at all. Thomas told his admin that he thinks everyone just has to memorize the whole town to figure out how to get somewhere, and she laughed, saying, "Geez....I never "taught" about that, but I think you may be right!" And even though the signs use numbers to "guide" you, no one ever knows the number of the roads, only the names....or better yet, the nicknames....or even better, the landmarks.
15. The roundabouts with signs that tell you where your ultimate destination will be, but give you no clue about what road you are turning onto or where you might go along the way to that far off destination.
16. Trying to figure out where in the WORLD to purchase any particular item, considering that none of the stores are the same, big boxes do not exist, and stores are categorized differently than American stores. You might find a TINY bit of everything in one store. Or a larger amount of one thing. Or several categories of things that don't see to fit together.
17. Tiny liturgies. Super short Masses, often with no music, or little music.
18. Tiny confused congregations. At every Mass it is as though the people in there have never been to Mass before. Everyone seems confused about when to sit or stand or kneel, and the responses are said at all different paces, rather than in unison. For instance, you might hear, "only say the word and your servant shall be healed, be healed, healed, healed" throughout the church. haha!
19. Hanging clothes on "the horse" to dry!! Dryers here, if you are lucky enough to have one, have two settings:
1. Dry to a crisp and shrink to smithereens.
2. Spin for hours and then hang to dry.
A friend told me she actually has a dryer in her house, but it only works on cold, so she hangs all her clothes on the line, and then puts the towels in the dryer for 5 minutes to fluff them. I guess you would call that machine a "towel fluffer." Also, because our dryer is in the middle of house in a random place (the home is not outfitted with a dryer ventilation system) one must empty out a long plastic container of water each time one does laundry.
20. Using tiny currency again. One must have coins on them at all times here because they are actually USED DAILY.
21. Immersions. This is the contraption that heats your water in your home. There is a timer on it that can be set for certain times of the day. Because this tiny little country is oil-dependent, and because for years the cost of oil was astronomical, not "wasting" it is deeply engrained in the minds of Irish men and women. For years it was said, "If you want to give an Irish mother a heart attack, just say in the car as you leave for holiday, 'Mum, I forgot to turn off the immersion!'" When I asked my friend, Clodagh, why we were washing loads of dishes in cold water at the kids' camp, she told me this story (I had actually heard the quote before) and said that even thought most people are able to afford oil during the present time, their mum's voice is still ringing in their ears.
22. Tiny amounts of rubbish. Tiny kitchen rolls (paper towels). Speaking of not wasting, I am noticing our rubbish bin is not NEARLY as full as it is in Austin. I can not figure out why. Perhaps I am unconsciously buying into the concept of it being a "mortal sin" to WASTE, for heaven's sake! For instance, the reason I was washing 100's of plates and cups a day at the kids' camp, is because it would be so "wasteful to use paper plates and cups!" It is VERY uncommon to find paper and plastic dishes here. Kitchen roll squares (paper towels) are smaller. Public bathrooms almost always have hand dryers, and "less public" bathrooms (i.e. church, Faith and Family Center, etc.) have old fashioned TOWELS to be used by all. Wow. The germaphobe in me just can't take it that far! And the American in me is saying What's the big deal with using paper plates for ONE week a year for snacks for the kids? And the "Hill Country, drought tolerant, pay-for-water your whole life, and watch your grass wilt due to lack of rain" person in me thinks it is a WASTE to use so much WATER to wash all those dishes!! I guess it is all in your perspective. Also, it was so funny how Clodagh had purchased some bottles of high-fructose corn sugar ice cream toppings for a craft. Afterward, after the topping's purpose had passed, when we were deciding what to do with it, she said, "I'll take it if it's not used. Just as long as it doesn't go to waste." It's sugar, flavoring, and color! In my opinion, eating it would be just as wasteful (just going to your hips or leading to diabetes) as throwing it away! Every scrap of those 50 kids' snacks were eaten. If they remained on their plates, she or other mums or priests ate them up. No food went in the rubbish. I think Clodagh is extra concerned about not wasting, but I do see this as an Irish way of looking at the leftover. I don't see a mad rush to the tiny selection of paper goods in the market, after all. But what I find interesting is that people don't seem to recycle or reuse or not waste because there is some sort of government- sponsored campaign out there trying to change the people's mindset. It already IS their mindset. Maybe we American's could learn something from them?
23. Tiny engines. The cars here are go-carts. They sound so cute to drive! ;) Also speaking of not wasting, most cars (including ours) do not idle, but have engines that TURN OFF whenever you stop at a light, etc. This saves an average of 6 PERCENT on fuel every year, they claim. There have been a couple of warm days that it got hot in the car at each traffic stop when the A/C turned off. I thought, "Oh no. This would NEVER work in Texas. There would be heat strokes during every rush hour!"
24. Tiny roads, tiny lanes, tiny car parks with tiny spaces. While driving down many roads one must decide whether to err on the side of being sure not to hit oncoming traffic's rear view mirrors or not to hit the wall or curb on the other side. Twice I have busted a tyre -- TWICE!-- from hitting the curb, and from rubbing up against a tiny concrete obstacle that one cannot see while trying to maneuver a tight car park.
25. Tiny amount of warning about the weather. Each day is a new day. One has no idea what to expect or how to dress. On a typical day I might wake up to low, ominous clouds and rain, completely covering the view from our bedroom window. Then, within an hour it is warm and bright and sunny, like the rain never even happened.
26. Tiny Mexican food selection. Even tinier "American food" selection.
27. Tiny cartons (6 packs) of UNREFRIGERATED eggs
28. Tiny germs floating in tiny waiting rooms that lead to an "interesting" doctor's office.
29. Tiny chance of being right about closing time because no two days of the week are the same, it seems.
30. Tiny numbers on the scale that must be converted to have any clue if the scones and beer/whiskey have made you gain or the walking has made you lose.
31. Tiny windows of opportunity. IN other words, go with the flow. I realize now why the Irish are so spontaneous and unpredicable. It is the WEATHER. It is so true that if it is a nice, sunny day you MUST drop everything and go outside because you have no idea what tomorrow or next week will have in store. Conversely, when it is dreary, get as much done indoors as you can so you can be ready to enjoy the outdoors when it clears or warms up. Actually, I say that one should get out when it is a "nice, sunny day" but actually one should drop everything if there are some "nice, sunner HOURS" because it might be too cool for the park or the beach, having a drink on a restaurant patio or your back deck, etc. in a few hours.
32. Tiny symbols on tiny appliances that constantly keep you wondering "how the hell do I work this thing?"
33. Tiny stress levels (compared to USA). It is amazing how people just don't get worked up about things here. We Americans are all about productivity and efficiency. The Irish seem to be about people. So are a certain point, it's "good enough. Let's put the kettle on/have a pint!" No one seems in too much a hurry, and even in tense situations (i.e. we are running through the airport hoping to not miss the flight and run in all sweaty and stressed out), they seem calm and peaceful and patient. There seems to always be time for a chat or some craic. We have noticed, also, a direct correlation between response time from our bank, our management company for repairs, etc, and the weather. Nice weather = delayed response time. Dreary weather = suddenly out of the woodworks they pop, and poof! It all gets done! We Americans want it NOW! Our patience has been tried many times. Things just don't happen quickly here. But that has been refreshing. Because people are laid back about things, it gives us the freedom to be, too. After all, how important is that fixed gate, really? Let's sit and have a chin wag! Even in the direst of situations, "No worries. It's grand." (Now sometimes this tricks you. Traffic was ghastly getting to the airport in London to come home on Aer Lingus (Irish airline), and we came off a two hour cab ride and got to the check in counter just as it was time for them to close off check in. They representative politely and calmly picked up the phone. "We have a family here that just arrived. Is it possible to still get their bags on the plane? Okay, grand." Then he turned to us, "No, I am sorry. They can't get them on." Drats! Fooled again! No worries. Put the kettle on.
Bye-bye, bye, by, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye-bye!!
