1. Eco Friendly
If anyone knows my family and of the MONSTROUS pile of recycling we have on a bi-weekly basis, then you won't be surprised to hear that I'm quite pleased with how much recycling is going on here. They not only have recycling things all over the city and campus, but our apartment building sends out anything we can compost! Good thing too with the amount of fruit and veggies we eat. I sound like such a nerd and totally don't care because I've been wanting to compost at home for the longest time. Unfortunately, it's quite a bit harder to compost in the U.S. and I think by the time Pitt catches that bandwagon I'll be long gone.
2. My Shower
Yes yes I know. This was on my list of things that frustrated me as well. But truth is I really like the idea of needing to switch on a water heater before you actually need the hot water. I mean, unless someone is grievously injured and needs impromptu medical attention in your place of dwelling, I don't really think you need to have a huge tank of hot water on hand aaaaall the time. And unless you're me, you probably shower at about the same time each day, in which case, it shouldn't be a problem to flick a switch half an hour before. I bet it saves butt loads of money on the electrical/gas bill. Not to mention the actual electricity and gas itself. Both fortunately and unfortunately our water will never even dream of getting this hot:
3. Pedestrian Zones
There are many streets here that are both specially blocked off for pedestrians and that were built so tiny that no car could sensibly consider driving down it. It's quite the liberating feeling strolling down the middle of the street thinking "See a car try and mow me down NOW!" It also makes for much safer shopping as you don't have to constantly be worried about crossing streets and having drivers get angry at you. It's quieter also and waaaay better for people watching.
4. The Weather
Go ahead and call me crazy because I know you're going to for saying I like Ireland's weather. Hell, I call myself crazy for liking it. But really, it's perfect for me! Let's see:
It's more often cloudy than not.
Also, since it's cloudy so often, you get really really happy when the sun is shining and it's always surprising how the grey landscape can turn into something really pretty!
As long as I'm decently warm and ready for rain, I'm set for the week! And the rain isn't even that bad. It's never a full out storm or so bad you can't get anywhere.
5. Not Having "American" Foods
This is another double dipper. Even though I don't have tortilla chips as often as I want and I don't think Reese's exists here, it does force me to try local stuff and whatever they're used to eating. I've been introduced to the glory that is beans and toast, white pudding and black pudding (this one's better), both of which are definitely NOT the same type of pudding Americans are used to, using butter on sandwiches instead of mayo, haggais (although technically that was Scotland) and the crowning glory that is Chipsy King.
6. Being a Far Walking Distance from Everything
Yet again, another double dipper. While it is inconvenient to have to schedule in 40 mins walking time and it sucks if you're tired and have to walk nearly 2 miles to city centre to lug groceries nearly 2 miles back, it does counteract a Freshman 15 of sorts. I have rugby and go to the gym on a regular basis anyway, but I do waaay more walking here than I ever could dream of at Pitt let alone at home in Cranford. It's a good feeling knowing that you walk everywhere too. Especially for me where it's more eco freindly and healthier. Also it's prime music time for me and I end up just plugging in for the whole walk. It only gets awkward when the band geek in me comes out and I need to walk to the beat of the music. I must look awkward stretching or shrinking my strides every 3-4 minutes to keep in time with whatever I'm listening to.
7. Pubs!
There's so much to love about a good pub (and probably so much to hate about a bad one but we won't dwell on that thought) it's hard to know where to start. There's usually lots of tasty food that you can get for pretty cheap which is a major win in my book. There's also the fact that there's lots of (relatively) cheap alcohol to go along with that tasty food. I've noticed especially in Ireland, a lot of pubs keep local beers on tap which is cool because you can look at them and chose any that you don't recognize and it'll probably be local. Murphy's and Beamish are the locals of Cork, both of which are quite tasty if I do say so myself.
If not, you can always ask the super friendly bartender that's working! Most often it's some cute old guy who you can barely understand but will still talk to you about anything. On Tuesdays and Thursdays it's more likely to be a young girl and guy since those are to going out nights for college students here, but they're still just as helpful and nice.
On that note, pubs are quite versatile and can get pretty swinging on popular nights out. A lot of them clear away tables and chairs to make room for dancing and frolicking about like a drunken fool which the Irish gladly do on a regular basis.
8. How Friendly People Are
With very few exceptions of some people whom will remain unnamed, nearly everyone I've met lives up to the friendly Irish standard. People who visited were telling me before I left how nice and helpful the Irish are and they've truly held up their reputation. Whether it's the bar tender, a shop keeper, or some random person you stop on the street for directions, most everyone is genuinely friendly.
They also have incredible senses of humor and are always trying to crack jokes, even if it's not so appropriate. One of my favorite stories is of my friend Max, when she was in the supermarket. The woman in front of her had an extremely large amount of alcohol in her cart, and being helpful (and curious) Max offered to help unload it. She then half-joking said "What party is this and why wasn't I invited?" The woman responded with "oh, it's for a funeral." Max was horrified as anyone would be, but the woman laughed it off and was more amused than offended with Max's reaction.
To explain a bit, Irish wakes and funerals are quite different than American ones. In old times it used to be a huge social event for everyone in the area to gather and mourn, socialize, celebrate the person's life, and have fun. I guess certain parts (such as the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol) have continued to this day. I heard someone once say "The only difference between an Irish wedding and and Irish funeral is that there's one less person." And it's not meant in an offensive way at all. It's just they seem to celebrate someone's life a bit more while in mourning. I'm actually writing a paper on it for my folklore class and from the research I've done, I definitely want my funeral to be of the Irish sort.
9. The Internet Allowance
The last of the double dippers (I promise). Knowing that it's always looming over me ominously or that I might need to save it for a video chat later, I've become more conscious not only about how much time I spend wasting away in front of the screen, but also that I spend my time more wisely. It's actually quite the motivator to just listen to music, go to the gym, or read now that I actually have time to read for fun. It also encourages more academic pursuits, but always the procrastinator, I tend to avoid those.
10. Funny Word Differences
There are so many of these and they tend to just pop up at random times. Some of them I knew before hand and was prepared for. For instance, we use jelly and jam synonymously, however, jam is jam to them and jelly is jell-o. So when someone told me a woman laughed at her when she asked if the jelly was near the peanut butter in the store, I was at least able to explain why she laughed and thought it strange.
The most common one that I first encounter was craic (pronounced crack). I've probably mentioned it before, but it means fun. So if some says "It was great craic!", they mean it's a good time or great fun. NOT high quality cocaine as I first thought.
So this:
Another uproarious one that just recently arose was "lift" vs "ride". Usually when someone drives us somewhere in the States, we call it a ride. Like "can you give me a ride to practice?" or "thanks for the ride home!" Funnily enough, that's what "giving a lift here" is, which we also say at home. But here, giving someone a ride means having sex with them. So if you were to ask someone "Can I get a ride home?" instead of "Can I have a lift home?" they will probably laugh right in your face and be confused. Some American girls on the rugby team found this out the hard way when they thanked their driver for the ride and everyone in the car burst out laughing. Needless to say, I've been very conscious of thanking my driver for the lift since finding out.
I'm not sure if I'm the only one, but I LOVE these language differences and the awkwardly hilarious situations they can sometimes get you into.
There's a plethora of other things that are different than home, but I'm kind on the spot to think of them right now and that's not my best technique for remembering everything. The pros most definitely outweigh the slight downers, and if it's about taking it all in stride, then I think I've done a pretty good job. They keep life interesting to say the least.
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