Being abroad for a few weeks now, I've noticed many differences between Ireland and America. In case some of you don't know, this is only my second time out of the country. The first time I ever left the country, and the first time I was ever on a plane, was two years ago when I traveled to Galway, Ireland for a week over my freshman spring break. It was an amazing experience and I noticed some differences between Ireland and Amaerica that I think prepared me for my studies in Dublin this semester. However, I've still found some things difficult to adjust too, even if they might be insignificant to other people. Some of you may already know of some of these differences, but I thought I'd share some that I've noticed and have had to adjust to.
For starters, eggs are not refrigerated here. Although I did notice this during my time in Galway, I still find myself looking in the refrigerator section for eggs when grocery shopping. For those of you shocked at this and wondering how eggs could not be refrigerated, the answer lies within the processing difference of eggs in America and Ireland. American law requires graded eggs (eggs sold in supermarkets) to be washed and sprayed with a chemical sanitizer to reduce the risk of salmonella. In Ireland and many other places around the world, grade eggs are not allowed to be washed or sprayed before being sold because it is believed to aid in the transfer of bacteria such as salmonella. Some people might still be confused, but to me, an egg is an egg. The eggs here in Ireland taste like eggs back at home, so it's really no bother to me.
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Staying with differences in food, I've also noticed the lack of easy, at-home dinners like Hamburger Helper. I know this is silly, but Hamburger Helper is a cheap, easy, and delicious meal that I like at home, and I have not been able to find it here. I know, I can make it myself, but it's never going to taste the same as the box version.
Another difference that I happen to like is the price that is displayed in the store is the price you pay. At home in Pennsylvania, when I go shopping, I always have to worry about sales tax and how that will impact my total. Here, I don't need to include extra prices in my total, the price is what it is. It's very convenient, for me at least. Also, there's no real need for tipping here. Tipping is not expected in a lot of settings, but if you're out with a large number of people, it might be appropriate to leave a tip.
I've also noticed that a lot of people either walk or bike everywhere. There may be towns in America that do this too, but where I'm from, you need a car if you want to get anywhere special. There are a decent number of cars and public transportation here, but there are a massive amount of pedestrians. There's also a huge battle between pedestrians and everyone else. Bikers believe they have the right of way, but they don't, and cars actually do have the right of way. While I have had some close, very close, encounters with bikers and a bus or two, I find it very easy to walk where I need to go. I'm used to a short walk to class in America, tops of 10 minutes if I'm going slow, but here it's 40 minutes on a good day. I do have to say it is refreshing, and I don't think I would take the bus even if I knew how to use it.
Cursing is largely different as well. In America, swearing is somewhat looked down on, but here in Ireland swearing is used in everyday conversation. Now that's not to say that everyone swears, but curse words are more commonly used over here. Don't worry mom, my language isn't as bad as you think it is.
Obviously, there are a lot of other differences between America and Ireland, like driving on the other side of the road, the use of the 24-hour clock (military time) instead of the 12-hour clock, or the fact that the bottom floor of a building is floor zero and not floor one. The spelling of certain words is even different. The letter z is not used in Ireland, so it's not " realized" but "realised". Even with all the differences, I couldn't be happier here. There may not be any hamburger helper, but at least there's salmon!
