2 months in Ireland! - typical Irish ?☔

Hello! Yesterday I realized that today (November 23) marks exactly two months since I've been living here, and I thought it would be a good occasion to write something again.

Honestly, I don't know if these two months feel long or short. On one hand, it's only been 8 weeks, and I've never been away from home for such a long time, but when I think back to the day I arrived here, it feels like ages ago. I have to admit that the beginning was not easy for me, and I often felt homesick, especially during the first two or three weeks - and I even questioned why I'm here. The weekdays, especially Monday to Friday, passed slowly since I spend a lot of time alone in the house, and my tasks (which mainly involve household chores) are quite boring. Although I initially said that I settled in well, I think I only truly 'arrived' here recently, and I really like it here. And I think that's why the weeks are flying by. On the weekends, I'm almost always out and about, spending time with the people I've met here - especially in cafes :p. Today is Friday, and it's unbelievable how quickly the week has passed again - but I'm so excited for tomorrow and the day after :)!

I constantly notice things that are very different from Germany or my home, and today I want to delve into that.

1. The weather (how could it be otherwise...)

In the first 6 weeks, I didn't understand at all what was meant by the cliché description of Irish weather: The temperatures were always lower than in Germany, but the sun was shining every day, and it rarely rained. Even when my host mom told me that once November starts, the weather is mainly windy and rainy, I honestly didn't really believe her. However, by now, all weather-related clichés have proven to be true for me: It rains or drizzles every day, it's windy and cold. So, you really learn to appreciate the few completely sunny and rain-free days! :D For example, one Sunday morning, I went for a walk with my host parents and Timmy, and the weather couldn't have been better: blue sky, hardly a cloud, and sunshine. Since I was planning to meet up with two au pairs later anyway, and we had no plans yet, I spontaneously suggested going horseback riding. So, we wanted to arrange a ride, but when I got back home, it looked like the end of the world outside... which is why we decided to watch a movie at Fenke's place instead. When I arrived at her place, the rain had stopped, and the sun was shining again. Conclusion: One should never plan activities based on the weather here. But it can also happen that the sky is blue, the sun is shining, and it's raining from dark clouds. When it rains, it's usually pointless to bring an umbrella because it's very windy... Unfortunately, the dog doesn't care if it's raining and stormy when he has to go out, so I just have to dress warmly. - Which leads me to the next topic.

2. The Irish's sense of temperature

Yes, maybe I'm not entirely average in this regard, but when I'm out and about in a winter jacket and scarf, I always see girls my age and older wearing short skirts, tights, and not even a jacket. Generally, women here wear much shorter clothes (mostly in Dublin), which in Germany might be seen as inappropriate or provocative more easily. The same goes for children.. Just recently, Charlie came towards me after training in his sportswear at about 10 degrees; when primary school is over, hardly any child wears a jacket, and since the children all wear school uniforms, most girls even wear skirts and long socks at these temperatures (no tights).. but apparently, people here are used to it. In general, the houses are also less heated (other au pairs have the same experience), and recently, it was particularly cold because the heating system in our house was not working anymore, and we had to wait a week for it to be repaired.

3. The friendly interaction

I've already mentioned that the overall interaction here is much more open and friendly than what I'm used to in Germany, and I don't think that's news. Very common expressions are 'How are you?' or 'How are you doing?', but it took me a while to notice that most of the time, no response is expected... it's just a way of saying hello :D. Another thing that took me about a month to realize is the way time is expressed. For example, 'half 7' does not mean half past 7, but rather half past 8 or 7:30 am - very confusing. You also can't apologize enough for the smallest things - not because the other person would be offended, but because it simply contributes to a friendlier interaction :). For example, Olivia just came into the kitchen while I was writing on my laptop and simply said 'sorry'. I also noticed that the cashiers in the supermarket are all in a good mood, greet every customer, and the ticket inspectors on the train ask for the ticket in a friendly manner and even say thank you afterwards. And since we're talking about public transportation...

4. Bus rides

I already reported on my bus experience when I visited Julie in Nenagh.. I had another one of those a while ago on a Sunday around 6:45 am when I had to go to Dublin to catch the next bus for a booked day trip. I only arrived by pure luck and stress. You can generally not rely on the schedules on the internet because buses or the Dart (a kind of local train) almost always come at a different time. So, it's recommended to just go to the bus stop and wait for the next bus (fortunately, there are digital displays). However, it also happens that even if it's stated on the internet that a bus stops at a certain time at a certain stop, it either doesn't come or simply drives by because it only picks up new passengers at certain places. Sometimes, the buses are so crowded that they only take as many new passengers as there are getting off or even none at all, so you have to wait for the next bus. Fortunately, I knew before coming to Ireland that I also have to hold out my arm for the bus to stop. If you successfully get on the bus and know which stop you need to get off at, it can happen that there are no digital displays, and the stops are not announced over the speakers.. which is particularly great if you don't know the towns here, let alone their streets or stops. So, I was sitting on the bus the other day, trying to figure out at which stop we could be based on the buildings and street signs (fortunately, I had downloaded the plan with the stops beforehand to be able to follow along). So, taking the bus is always an adventure.

5. Eating habits in families

The most important meal of the day is dinner, for which something is always cooked - always meat. I haven't even once seen a member of my host family eat something vegetarian for dinner or lunch. Meat is practically part of every meal (except maybe breakfast), and it must not be missing. For example, Billy's lunch is a sandwich with salad, bacon, and chicken, and the older kids like to eat sandwiches with ketchup and sausages... Personally, I have nothing against the dinner my host parents cook and actually enjoy it a lot. I'm also lucky that it's usually very healthy, unlike in other families. Dinner is also the only meal where usually the entire family sits at the table. On weekends, everyone makes their own breakfast when they get up and has lunch if needed (in most families). And, honestly, I really missed the shared breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays, especially during my first weekend here and in the beginning. We only had breakfast together once, and it was a traditional, very hearty 'Irish Breakfast' consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, sausages, and black pudding - a meat dish made from baked pig's blood (which I politely declined). Actual cake is quite rare, but there are always snacks in the form of small packaged bags of chips or popcorn in the house, as well as cookies. There's also a kind of meal plan that repeats every week. For example, on Mondays, we always have spaghetti bolognese.

6. House equipment

Actually, all houses in Ireland are equipped with an alarm system, which must always be turned on when leaving the house. In our house, it's even turned on at night. The alarm often goes off when someone has forgotten to close the windows or for other trivial reasons.. As a result, you constantly hear loud beeping noises during the day. Many families also have a dog for additional security reasons, and by the way, there's a fine of €150 if you don't pick up your dog's droppings outside.

7. Traffic lights

If there's one thing that is completely overrated here, it's definitely traffic lights. I would say that 20% of people actually care about traffic lights and stop at red. In Dublin, it works like this: a large mass of people just crosses the street, and if a car does come, it either honks, has to wait, or the people just run across the street. In any case, this is a very quick way to identify tourists, as they are usually the ones waiting at a red light ;).

So, those were the things that stood out to me the most in everyday life in the past few weeks. But I can imagine that this list can still be expanded in the future.

By the way, Dublin already looks very Christmassy: the shopping centers are decorated, fairy lights are everywhere, and last weekend, there were even costumed elves on stilts walking through the streets. Tomorrow, the first Christmas market already opens in a suburb, which I'm very excited about. In general, I've been in the Christmas spirit since mid-November (which has never happened to me before), and I'm really looking forward to this time. Here, I've become aware of how much I associate this holiday with family.

Best regards, your Hanna ❁