From time to time I post observations relating to our move back to the US after 12 years in Ireland. From the culture to ourselves, many many things seem different. This is my take on it. Views and observations are my own and only my own. They are simply observations and musings, not facts or absolutes to any one place or environment.
So many ways to say the same thing. It gets confusing sometimes.
- I’m seriously considering carrying a flask with me. A flask of milk. A flask of milk for my tea.
- When I ask for “tea” here they assume it’s iced tea unless specified, “Hot Tea.”
- It’s possible we stand too close to people in lines.
- People seem to need a lot more personal space to pass each other in aisles. I’ll be standing there and someone will be waiting for me to move so they can get by while I’m thinking that two additional people could get by with all that space there.
- While in a car waiting to pick up kids from school, people leave loads more space between cars here. I have to stay calm and not get stressed about all that wasted space. We were always in need of more space in Ireland. Always. But not here. There is a lot of space. I still can’t help myself from saying, “Stop wasting all that space!” It’s a good thing my car windows are rolled up or they would be like, “Who’s that weird lady yelling about space over there?” But thankfully, they probably wouldn’t hear me because of all the space between our cars.
- I must remember to smile back when random people smile at me.
- People seem so outwardly friendly. I’m not used to that outgoing nature.
- There are so many different words here that sometimes I can’t talk and people look at me funny. Whoever said, “It’s so good you get to speak English in Ireland” like it’s the same thing, needs to know, it’s not the same English. No joke. *
- Where we are located, it doesn’t seem like people are used to dealing with people who are unfamiliar with how to do things in America. Please be patient with me.
- I heard a foreign accent the other day and immediately felt at home and wanted to be friends with them.
- I am tired. Learning a new place and relearning my birth culture (if you can call moving to a new, and very different, region 12 years later relearning. Not so sure about that.) is exhausting. Time for some sleep.
Nothin’ like a proper cuppa.
*The Irish predominantly speak a dialect of English known as Hiberno English.
