Questions from the Irish:
1. If you are asked, "Where are you from?" answer with what state you are from. They already know you are from America by the accent! The response I always get after saying I'm from California is a sigh and a dream-like look. The Irish feel that California (let alone America) is a dream place to live in. Then, of course, they follow with questions such as, "What part of CA are you from?", "What famous people have you met?", "Is Laguna Beach a REAL place?", "Can I switch places with you?". haha Just one simple question can carry on into a very funny conversation.
2. "Is high school really like what we see on TV?" - Now this is an interesting question to try and answer as I always thought that my high school was rather...special. I try to tell them that yes, some high school may be like the ones you see on the tele, but many, such as my high school, are quite different than that. Another question similar to this one is "Are the sororities/fraternities like what we see on TV?" - Same reply basically.
3. "Were you/are you afraid to be living in a war zone?" - No. I did my research to be sure that where I was going to be studying was safe and all our program coordinators reassured us that Northern Ireland is now one of the safest places you can be in the world (safer than most, if not all American cities).
4. "Were your parents/are your parents afraid that you are studying in a war zone/different country?" - Mom, dad, you can answer this one = ) I generally say that of course they are to some degree "worried" as they would be if I had gone to any country by myself. But they support my decision to study abroad and are very proud of me.
5. "What do you think of our country?" - I say that I like it and everyone that I've met has been really friendly and helpful, but there are some things that I am still getting used to. And of course, it's absolutely beautiful.
6. "Are you homesick yet?" - No, ask me mid-term. Maybe I'll have a different answer then. haha
7. "Do you miss buffalo wings?" - HAHAAA And this just shows one perception of Americans that the Irish have. Apparently we eats lots of buffalo wings. And no, I don't miss buffalo wings because I've never had buffalo wings - shock!!
8. "Do you live at home when you're at school?" - No, I don't. They are generally quite shocked when I tell them that we live in dorms and that I was expecting to have a roomate here in Northern Ireland. Here, I have my own room and bathroom (crazy!!) and me and my 4 other flatmates share a kitchen.
9. "Do have Irish blood?" - Yes, some, but I'm 3/4 German.
10. "Team Edward or Jacob?" - Yes, Twilight is HUGE here. Most people here seem to prefer Jacob (the character), but they also LOVE Robert Pattinson. They all STRONGLY dislike Kristen Stewart. Sorry Kristen, you don't have any Irish fans! haha And, in case you were wondering, I'm team Switzerland.
Questions that you all might have, but didn't think to ask or don't want to ask!
1. "What is it like living in a drinking culture?" - Before I proceed, I must clarify, for those of you who don't know, that I do not drink. It is both for personal reasons and the fact that I am still 20. So, drinking here is more of a social event. If you go to a pub, you will see whole families there (including children - don't worry, they don't drink). The students here do get drunk, but they don't completely abuse alcohol like people do in America. Also, the alcohol content and amount served in for 1 drink is WAY more than what people drink in America. The Irish have a higher tolerance. Yes, my flatmates do drink. They know I don't drink and don't pressure me to do so, but they still include me in their socials. Also, Monday nights are HUGE party nights. Everyone goes out on Monday night because everyone has come back from the weekend and everyone wants to know the craic (remember, that can mean "news") on everyone's lives. Weekends are really pretty quiet. I hope this answers the question enough!! If you have any more specific questions about this, please let me know!
2. "What are your classes/professors/studies really like?" - By the general structure and appearance, the classes here would seem very similar. To refresh your memory, I'm taking a Business, Psychology, and Choreography class. For each module (class), you will have one "lecture" each week. The "lecturer" (teacher/professor) will talk about the material during the lecture. Lectures are usually around 2 hours long. Then, the lecture class is split up into smaller "seminar" groups. These seminar groups meet once a week for about an hour with the lecturer. This give the opportunity to do group discussions or ask about the material. This structure is true for my Business and Psychology class. For my Choreography class, we meet once a week for 2 hours to experiment with different ideas and choreograph mini "studies" on each other. Then we have rehearsal times outside of class to work on our independent project. The one thing that is very different in this class is that the teacher does not start us off with an improvisation activity (which I am used to from Chapman and the RDA Intensive in N. Carolina). She just splits us into groups and one person is the choreographer, then we just begin.
My lecturers are all very nice and, for the most part, are easy to understand. But be warned, they often do not attend their listed office hours nor may they reply to an email. Your best bet is to talk to them before or after class.
Probably the biggest difference for me are my fellow students. They are definitely not as keen to participate as American students might be. This behavior might be found as offensive in America, but it is perfectly acceptable here.
3. "Do you think your classes are easy or hard?" - I feel that my Business class is really easy so far, but I honestly can't complain about that. My Psych and Choreo class seem to be just right.
4. "Is it ever sunny there? What's the weather really like?" - Yes!! In fact, we've had quite a few sunny days lately. Unless there is a really bad storm coming through, it hardly ever rains constantly all day. It is generally 60 F as the absolute highest temperature. We are due for MUCH colder weather when we hit late October, November, and December.
5. "Are you getting an Irish accent?" - Not that I can notice, however, the other day I was speaking to my flatmates and I definitely said part of the sentence in their accent. We all paused then laughed. I must say though that I am picking up MANY different phrases and words that they use here. I'll have to do a separate post on that. Many of them can be quite entertaining and funny. Also, I've noticed for quite a while now that all of my thoughts in my head are with an Irish accent. I get very disappointed and confused when I speak and my voice doesn't sound like what I think it does. = )
6. "Do they like the same TV shows, movies, etc?" - In general, yes. They are very well accustomed to our American culture via our TV shows and movies. They enjoy Glee, Jersey Shore, Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl...these are only some I can think of. It seems that they watch/know more about them than I do. They also have their own versions of our TV shows such as Britain's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (which I'm quite good at!), Britain's Next Top Model, X Factor (America's Got Talent), etc.
7. "How is the health care there?" - Bad. We were told by the school nurse to not come to see her unless you have a disease or you are dying. Yikes!! Health care is free, but you must register with a doctor here if you are staying for more than 6 months.
8. "Do you have potatoes with every meal?" - haha No, I don't. The Irish, like America, enjoy eating foods from other cultures. You will find everything here except for Mexican food. And for some very odd reason, they believe that American pizza is really really good. hmmm... By the way, they have Domino's here - very strange.
9. "Are you having a difficult time understanding them with their accent?" - More so in the beginning. The Derry accent is much thicker than a Dublin accent. I haven't had to ask someone to write down what they were trying to say in a while now = ) They are all very understanding when I say that I can't understand them and they try to slow down and enunciate (which often makes absolutely no difference). But, like I said, I feel that I am definitely able to understand the majority of what everyone says to me.
10. "Are you going to end up moving there?" - I absolutely LOVE it here, but I will be returning to America for my studies. After that, well, I'd love to travel more. Perhaps I will end up living abroad.
Well, that's all for now!! I know that was a lot of text, so I will reward you with this beautiful picture I took of the main building on campus. The students here call it the "Harry Potter" building because it looks like Hogwarts. There is even a Great Hall inside! No joke.
Okay then, let me know if you want me to elaborate on any more questions or have any more questions of your own!!
Cheers
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