Crack Culture Shock

There is so much crack here in Dublin. Crack in the apartments. Crack on the streets. All the locals will even share the crack with you!.....okay so it's craic and it means fun in Gaelic! This is just one of the many things that can be hard to adjust to here on the Emerald Isle; this post will be dedicated to some of the things that are just a little different in Ireland.

First off, some phrases we've learned:
Craic- fun
Failte- welcome!
slainte- cheers
cheers- great
brillant- awesome, great
lift- elevator
slagging- making fun of you in jest
footpath- sidewalk

And those are just a small sample! You really have to listen to people here to pick up on all the slang terminology. Just wait until I come home and start talking like I still live here :P Besides the vocabulary there are some other major differences between the lifestyle here and the United States. The most difficult thing for me so far has been the lack of instant hot water! You have to go to a switch in the closet about an hour before you want to take a shower, or wash the dishes, or whatever, and turn it on and let it heat up. This is because most buildings in Ireland run on an immersion system to cut down on energy costs! This also means you have to take much shorter showers because there is limited hot water even after you have it heating for a while. It has certainly been a struggle. Another thing you have to turn on before using here is the sockets themselves. Each plug in the wall has it's own switch that you have to turn to the DOWN position to get power flowing to it. The elevator, well lift here, numbers start on zero, so my apartment is on the 4th floor of my building but I hit the 3 button when I get on the lift. The basement is -1. The lights here are motion detected too. I get about halfway down my hallway before any lights come on at all. It can be kind of creepy sometimes ahaha

It has been an interesting adjustment so far here in Ireland and with school starting tomorrow I'm sure there will be even more to get used to! I'll be sure to give you all the details.

From Dublin, With Love.