Sean is a karate MASTER which means that his biceps are big and fat. This makes them very nice to punch during a spontaneous game of Punch Buggy when a Volkswagen Beetle passes us outside of The National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology. Sean: Hey! Why did you hit me? Liv: Punch buggy black – […]
Author: ieatmypigeon
Your 102-Word Mini Irish Culture Lesson
When someone says these words: Silence in the courtyard, silence in the street The biggest fool in Ireland is just about to speak Speak, fool, speak! … you say nothing, because the “Silence in the Courtyard” game has begun. You are to stay perfectly quiet and if you speak, you are “out.” Tonight, the biggest […]
What Stinks?
The great thing about apartment hunting with Sean is that we can discuss our thoughts in the relative privacy of the Japanese language. For obvious reasons, this wouldn’t have worked in Japan. And, sure, it could drastically backfire against us. 例えば： Realtor: And here you have the kitchen. Mind you, it’s part of the living […]
Your 465-Word Mini Irish Culture Lesson
Hurling and Gaelic Football are Ireland’s national sports. This suits me just fine, as it means I don’t have to hear a word about basketball, baseball, or American football aside from when my friends back home update their Facebook statuses. Thank you, Expatriate Life, for catering to my lifelong guilt about being totally uninterested in […]
Hi Diddly Dee
Sean: So next *** *** *** *** *** *** river *** **** basket *** *** Ribena? Liv: … pardon? Sean: I said **** **** racket *** *** Marlena, like. Liv: … what? Sean: “Hi diddly dee, ho diddly dum, ho ho ho, tra la tra lee tra la!” That’s all you hear when I talk, […]
Lost in Conkers
Here over a week now in Ireland. Cups of tea sipped: 50. Rambler Bus Passes bought: 2. Trips into City Centre: 8. Excited peeks at the Christminster campus: 2. Signs seen hysterically manipulating Irish citizens to vote Yes or No on the Lisbon Treaty: countless. Apartments viewed: 7. Apartments found: 0. It’s an unsettled time, […]
American English to Irish English Dictionary: Part I
American English: Don’t you go in there! Irish English: You’re not to go in there! * American English: Do you want me to call the realtors? Irish English: Will I ring the lettings agent? * American English: He just graduated from college. Irish English: He’s just after graduating from university. * American English: Have a […]
Cat Paradise
Sean comes from Europe, so he scoffs any time I describe an early 20th century building as “old.” History oozes from every corner in Europe, and Sean is always quick to remind me that Newgrange – the world’s oldest freestanding sculpture – can be found right here in Ireland. Even Sean’s family’s house was built […]
Pops are to Potatoes as Biscuits are to Cookies
It is a 2.5 hour drive from Dublin to Cork and in those 2.5 hours, there are meadows and those meadows are full of sheep. The sheep come in various shades of cream, some with black faces and some with white. I’ve never seen sheep in pastures before, only in petting zoos, so I’m mesmerized […]