So I'm almost done with my first week of classes. I have to say that I'm going to have to work hard this semester. I'm taking three Irish history classes and, while in and of themselves they're going to be a challenge, my lack of knowledge means I have catching up to do. The professors are working with the assumption that everyone has a decent grasp of Irish history, as they should, however for me this is a struggle. Off hand comments about the nine years war or other things send me scribbling on an ever growing list of things to google. This is going to be a challenge and I'm looking forward to it.
I find that culture shock is a very sneaky thing here. Many things are similar to home, the language most obviously. But every once in a while there is an idiom or pronunciation that throughs me for a loop. I nearly started laughing when one of my professors called the US Congress a parliament. Parliament is far too posh and old world a word for anything in American politics but that is not something I really wish to discuss, moving on to something lacking controversy.
There are so many little things that are different I probably could write a book. I will stick to a trip to the grocery store though. The Mexican food section was, unsurprisingly, tiny and there was salsa in a squeeze tube. There was also, to my horror, a "Guacamole style topping" that was a frankly alarming shade of green. I also found American style pancakes in the dessert section. They were tiny and very thick. Here what they call pancakes are essentially crepes and are usually eaten for dessert and not breakfast. They also had an giant section of tea, it was nearly one side of an aisle. What I found most interesting was that nearly all the tea was the same kind, what we would call Irish Breakfast Tea, but in different brands. There were a handful of green teas and that was it. Apparently the ridiculous variety that can be found in the US is not a thing here.
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