It is currently week 5 of my study abroad in Ireland and everything is going absolutely splendidly! From the beautiful scenery that surrounds me to the good-nature of the Irish, I have fallen in love with this country. Now that it has been a little over a month since I’ve been here, a great many things have started to make proper sense.
Most notably, the Irish slangs finally began to make sense in late September. It was sometimes difficult to figure out what people were talking about. For example, while we were going through orientation, everyone kept saying that things would be “good craic.” To this they would get lots of questioning glances and awkward chuckles from the five-hundred or so international students. Finally, someone imparted the knowledge that craic (pronounced “crack”) is the Irish word for fun. Getting used to hearing people say things like craic on a daily basis has been quite entertaining. It has also intrigued me that my accent has not made it blatantly clear that I’m not from Ireland, as many people do not realize that I’m an international student until they have been talking to me for some time. However, I have enjoyed meeting many new people from all over the world thus far and look forward to the many more acquaintances I hope to make.
Another thing that has begun to make sense is the weather. Ireland’s weather is incredibly sporadic. Not going to lie, it could be a bit less rainy for my taste, but, hey, you get used to it. At least, I have gotten used to always expecting the unexpected. I might look out my window in the morning to a gloomy day without the slightest notion of sunshine. Flash forward half an hour and the sky is a crystal clear blue without a cloud in sight and the sun is pouring its glorious rays all over the lush green landscape. Likewise, it could be a perfect day with the sun shining brilliantly and rain will be right around the corner. It even rains while the sun is shining sometimes, which, personally, I enjoy. It’s all a bit of craic.