Hello everyone who is curious about the Ireland experience!
Before I dive into my blog I figure its important to share a bit about myself.
I am a sophomore in the 3/2 program at Rollins College, I want to travel the world, and I have extreme liquidity when it comes to all things new or different. I consider myself adventurous and I’ll typically look for the silver lining in every scenario.
I’m sure you (the reader) have already noticed but in order to study abroad they ask that you fill out a sheet of values that explain your identity and how that might influence your perception of the world. I personally found this difficult to do because I don’t usually categorize myself, but after more thought I realized that there are things about me that gear me towards a certain lens. One of the more obvious factors toward my perception is the fact that I was raised in America. America has effected the slang I use, the guilt I feel for not leaving a tip (in countries where tipping is not a thing), the way I drive, the laws I follow, etc etc. Soccer here is football everywhere else, the drinking age is 18 everywhere else, and driving on the right is a bizarre change to anyone not from America. Its a small list out of a much grander novel, there are changes that I wont be knowledgeable of until I live in Ireland. This is where my adaptability will save me. I’ll have to be able to acknowledge the changes and embrace them, which I think is a scary concept to some but it’s important to view this as more of an exploitative experience rather than a horrifying one.
To prep myself for future interactions I googled Irish slang. An important thing to note, they call restrooms “jacks” and from what I’ve read the signs on the door will say “bean jack” or “fear jack” (bean = woman, fear = man). So its a GREAT thing I found that out.. otherwise I would’ve been staring at the doors for a solid 20 minutes.
Overall I find Ireland to be absolutely rich in culture and stunning in agriculture. I doubt that’ll change when I am there, I am really looking forward to going even though it hasn’t entirely set in yet. Still 2 months away! I wish I had more to write about but I’m more of a hands-on learner so once I get there I’ll have much more to say for the blogs, haha!
Keep your fingers crossed for me.
– Reigan P.