"Of course you don't like baths, you're American" my friend said to me as I prepared to take a shower...I am not sure that that really is an American thing but she seemed to to think that as a general rule we are not as inclined to take a bath as the rest of the world's population would be. I say this because it is just another instance of the cultural differences that we have. Another one is Guns and weapons - at least in the midwest it is so much of our culture to at least own a gun if not have your conceal and carry. And if your are anything like me then your brothers would be able to arm a small army between them...and this is normal :) But here, the mention of guns will send you into a great debate and I found that patriotism and pride that I did not know existed came bubbling forth. They had quite good arguments as to why our way of thinking about guns was completely ridiculous and yet my (and the other native Americans) arguments seemed just as valid, but more to my point was that I saw in myself a defensiveness towards what was being said even though I don't own a gun and hardly ever go shooting. Side note - I tried to explain to the about frog gigging and oh boy! you should have seen their faces :D I truly felt redneck then!
Another Cultural difference that I love is "Tea and Biscuits". No matter where you are or what you are doing it seems that everyone stops to enjoy a cuppa and a treat both mid morning and mid afternoon. Yesterday I helped some of the young ppl do a landscaping job on the outskirts of Dublin for a little Irish lady, Mrs. Doyle. At half 11 (the Irish and English way of saying 11:30) she invited us into her kitchen where mugs were set out, tea was steeping in a kettle, milk in a little jug, and a plate of biscuits (the term for anything sweet and cookie-like) in the middle. And again in the afternoon we were invited in for tea or orange juice, we chose the oj because we were already so hot but for me the wonderful part of it is that everyone stops, everyone enjoys a moment together and tea becomes more than just a drink - it becomes an action and a wonderful one at that. I will also say that tea in the States does not tast anything like the tea over here. When I got back to the States the last time I thought that it must have just been a mental thing for me, that I only like tea because I was in Ireland so of course the tea was better. I tried drinking it in the States but just did not like it the same way at all so I reverted back to coffee but now that I am back again I am quite convinced that their tea really is better here because my very first cup was quite delicious and I actually have been preferring that over a cup of coffee...which is CRAZY!
Anyhow, Yesterday I managed to enjoy both an Irish cider AND an Irish coffee at Tulfarris, a golf course and hotel...still need to have a guiness before I leave but I am headed to Dublin on Friday so I think I will then.
Oh yes! This morning I went for a run and it was SO gorgeous! Passed by a field full of sheep and was quite surprised to see that at least 1/8 of them were black ( I have never actually seen a black sheep). One of the things that I love about running outside is the ability to see so many different landscapes.
