Farwell, Emerald Isle

Today is my last day of work here. It definitely had its moments of good craic and was worth the weather sacrifices. How else would I have learned about wellies, Dubs, and men's kleenex? :)

A few more words:
-Relations (relatives)
-Fringe (bangs) - learned at the $$ hair salon I tried (Lunatic Fringe)
-grand, grand, and grand (say this when all else fails)

"It's All About a Bit of Craic"

This was a quote from an Irish dance instructor, at a class off of O'Connell/W. Parnell St. that I randomly showed up at on Wed night. I was late and therefore totally clueless, but by the end things started to make sense (having a partner with a clue didn't hurt either). The instructor was saying that in the end, Irish dancing is less about the "right way" to do things and more about the craic. So true about everything here :)

I Guess I am Hopelessly American Because...

- I love ice in my pop.
- I love putting off shopping until late at night, knowing I can always do an 11pm Safeway run.
- I expect to get all my laundry done in 2hrs or less.
- I like wearing sneakers - even white ones on occasion.
- I like my 8lb dumbells, and I love knowing I can buy them almost anywhere.
- I still consider > $4/gal gas as already really expensive.
- I prefer brown rice to potatoes, hands-down.
- I wear white socks regularly :).

When in Ireland, Do as the Irish Do..

My brother was in town over the weekend. We went on a DART tour Saturday, going up to Howth (the northern end). It was the best weather day yet here, and we did a beautiful 4.5 mile hike/walk. Later we went to Malahaide and found Malahide Castle in a huge park just in time for it to be closed :( Then we went south to Bray on the train, just to see the southern-most point. I took him to the Porterhouse (Temple Bar) later, which amazingly doesn't serve Guinness - oops. But they have the most amazing fruit beer called Floris. Yummm.

Sunday, we went via train to visit our cousins in Co. Roscommon. They had us drinking Jameson on the rocks (and a bit of pop :), just for the craic. I don't think I've ever had more than a sip of that before! I think I've sampled all the typical Irish alcohol varieties at this point, so Irish customs will probably clear me as OK to leave without any hassles :). Check, check, and check.

Merci, Pari

I went to Paris over the weekend to meet up with my brother, visiting from the US. The highlight was a bike tour in Giverny and a visit to Monet's gardens there. Tres bien! The farmer's market that we stopped at in Vernon had the best tomatoes of my life. Yum!

A Bit of Boston

The first time I heard a Dublin nativer speak, I heard it instantly -- a bit of a Boston accent. The "A" sound sounded just like "Hahvahd Yahd." I have talked to other Americans living in Ireland who noticed this as well. So now I know one place that helped create that ol' Boston accent :).

The other thing I notice about the Dubs is their use of "t" instead of "th." It is quite funny to me at times, hearing "tree" instead of "three." But "there ya go!" as they say.

More sights checked off the list

Over the weekend I got the chance to see some sights outside of Dublin (yey). I took the train to Kilkenny castle on Saturday, which was a nice 2 hour ride through the green Irish sheep and cow landscape.

On Sunday I went to Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains, just a 1-hour drive south of Dublin. We did a 2-hour hike and then of course spent some time viewing the ancient Glendalough cathedral, graveyard, and the round tower.

The best part: it did NOT rain either day! Amazing.

How to Look American

There seems to be one definitive way to spot an American here: the appearance of white socks! This even applies when wearing shorts, when wearing white sneakers (also less common here), or even when at the gym. I'm curious now if the stores here even sell many of them. In Europe, black is the new white :).

Things I love about Ireland

1. They speak English!
2. They love tea as much as I do
3. It's the home of the Cliffs of Moher and Butler's hot chocolate (mmm!)
4. Their accent is one-of-a-kind
5. They know that one's work is not the only important aspect of life :)
6. The Irish people really are friendly (it's true!)

Baby Guinness

I just tried a baby guinness last night (since it was insisted that I do so). It was just a shot, but of course I never drink those the usual way :). I must say, it wasn't too bad, since I do like Bailey's - mmmm.

Dún Laoghaire

On Saturday I volunteered at the Festival of World Cultures in Dún Laoghaire. I love that word because it's pronounced "Dun-LEER-y", nothing like it's spelled! It was fun meeting some more Irish natives. More than anything it was a day spent in the rain, but with my wellies, purchased that morning, it was all good! A recurring theme was the use of "Brilliant." It sounds so much better when the Irish say it!

A few more words gathered over the past weeks:
Canteen [cafe at work]
Sunnies [sunglasses -- apparently this one is borrowed from Australia]
Big wheel [ferris wheel]
On "hols" [on holiday]

The wellies...

Apparently they're "the" shoe to have in Dublin. At both Muse and the Killers' concerts, I could definitely be pointed out as a foreigner given my lack of Wellington boots (almost always seen patterned).

I hadn't even really heard of them before I got here, but even my cab driver just nodded when I mentioned them, "oh yes, the wellies..."

For men only, please.. On the shelf at EuroSpar

For men only, please.. On the shelf at EuroSpar
Originally uploaded by SheelahB

I still can't understand what the deal is with the men's kleenex, but I will find out :)

Favorite Phrases

Before I forget, here are some of my favorite phrases overheard or seen here since arriving 2 weeks ago:

"Dubs" [what Dublin natives call themselves]
"Thanks a million" or "Thanks a mill" or "Thanks very much"
"We can frank that for you" [discussion over buying stamps]
"... If you like" [phrase used by Dubliners frequently at the end of sentences]
"Lovely" [used often by women when describing about anything nice. Also used to describe cloudy and possibly cold weather that doesn't include rain]
"Grand" [similar to lovely but used more often by men]
"Lockers" [above-seat storage compartments on airplanes]
"Till point" [cash register]
"Rubbish" [garbage]
"Smart attire" [area in a clothing store containing more formal attire]

Belfast

I spent all of Saturday on a bus tour to Belfast and Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. It was a very long day (starting with a 5:30am taxi ride, and ending with a 5-hour bus ride for a trip that normally takes 2.5 hrs!) but worth the trip. The weather was not cooperative (rain!) but that's Ireland - ha. We also did a side trip to the town of Derry in N. Ireland, which was heavily involved in the N. Ireland/Britain conflict and was where the infamous Bloody Sunday occurred in 1972. We got a private tour there from a local which was very good.

Zzzz... Can't wait to sleep in past 5am tomorrow!

First!

Ok that's it.. I'm finally starting a blog to share some of my experiences while living temporarily in Dublin, Ireland. On a good week I may even post multiple times, depending on the availability of good craic :). Stay tuned.