Woah Nelly!

My classes are going fabulously, for those who are interested in such things. I'm taking an Irish History course and Contemporary Irish Sociology. Judging from the syllabus, this is going to be my first truly easy semester! I'm so excited about having a break from formal academia. That's not to say that I'm not learning, it's just so much more hands-on! We have so many trips planned, it's going to be fantastic. I can't remember ever being this excited about the stuff I am learning in classes, probably because it has a direct, daily impact on my life and how I'm viewing the things around me.

The formality level here regarding teacher-student relationships is shockingly low, but this style also seems to have a lot of distinct benefits. The teachers make you call them by their first names, and I feel comfortable asking questions about life in Ireland. In fact, they encourage the random questions about "select" vs "matured" cheese, etc. They're definitely helping us to adjust. Our history teacher has even planned a guided tour for us throughout the country side, specifically the Ring of Kerry. She's made all the arrangements just because she thinks it will be fun for us, is bringing a bunch of the DCU music majors along to play traditional music for us, and said in total seriousness that she's taken into consideration that people may have hangovers by Sunday, so those days we'll be seeing less. Hilarious. Sometimes I don't know what to make of all this.

The food issue has been a big one for me here, but if I hear the term "culture shock" one more time, I'm gonna go crazy. When I take the bus to city center, there's food everywhere! Being a major international city now, I can eat whatever the hell I want in Dublin, but actually grocery shopping and cooking food has been a huge challenge for me. It would require some adjustments while at home in the U.S., but here it's so so much more challenging! First of all, they never showed us where the main grocery store was near campus. We weren't given any direction and had to go searching for it ourselves, and it's not that easy to find. Now I know this is part of developing independence, but really, isn't that a little extreme for the first week? Then actually buying food was another headache. I had no idea what prices were considered high or low and recognized very few brand names. I stared at the cheese section forever and felt like a complete fool. When I asked for cooking spray, the worker had no idea what I was talking about. When I finally did finish, I had a ton of trouble at the self-check out and had to ask for help a bunch of times. It felt good to hear that nearly everyone on the trip had had a similar experience, though.

Food aside, I had a fabulous day yesterday. I went into the city center after class with Amanda and we went to Penney's (think the Irish version of London's Primark). Super cheap dresses and shoes, even when you convert from the Euro. Then we went to Temple Bar area to grab some food. We ate awesome burgers at the Irish chain Gourmet Burger Kitchen (I highly recommend it) and the chips (french fries) were great. I have to say, it's not a stereotype; the best Irish food product I have yet to eat is the potato, hands down. We also accidentally found an open air market on Moore street. Big bags of potatoes for a euro, and tons of other fresh produce for cheap. From now on I'm going to avoid Tesco's (the major supermarket) at all costs.

Then we met up with a bunch of other people to see a play at the Gate theater in the city center. "The Old Curiosity Shop," a Dickens play, was showing for great student rates. The theater is old and gorgeous, so I'll post some pictures, although mine didn't come out as well as those of other people. The set was spectacular, the costumes ok, the acting pretty good, but we just didn't like the play itself. Nelly, the main female character, was dumb as a box of rocks. Still, we had a grand (one of the most popular slang terms in Ireland) time which led to many horrible, cheesy jokes.



Also of note this week was learning about our internships. I still haven't received an interview date yet, but I guess that's pretty standard. Apparently interviewing and working here is going to be WAY different than in the U.S. You're not supposed to over-sell yourself or be too confident, which is key in America! Don't sit down until you're specifically asked. You shouldn't ever work through tea break, show up too early or leave too late. You can't say no to anything, ever, even a cup of tea. If you really don't want one you say "I'm fine thank you," but they'll ask at least 3 times. Concerning going out with coworkers, if you don't reciprocate rounds of drinks, you are committing serious social suicide and will never be asked out again, so to get out of a round you have to insist on "going on your own" at the start of the evening. There are so many little cultural subtleties to remember, it's incredible! We're also seen as overly formal if we use the words/phrases "sir," "ma'am," "you're welcome," or "may I ask you a question?"

I'm not too worried about the slagging though. I'm so used to getting picked on and teased by everyone at home. Yes, my BU male friends, that means you. I think I'm well trained to withstand the slagging and give a little back.

That's all for the moment. I'll be going to Galway with a group this weekend. So weird but awesome that I'll be seeing Jamie already! We were going to see the Aran Islands while there, but apparently it's so cold there it might snow (that hasn't happened in Ireland in 13 years). Instead we might go the nearby Cliffs of Moher and explore the city of course. More on that later.

P.S. There really are palm trees in Ireland. The water from the Gulf stream circulates all the way to Ireland, giving it a moderate temperature all year. Palm trees don't need to be warm, they just can't have the temperature drop below a certain level. I'll post a picture as soon as I find a really good one!