One of the orientation presentations from the first few days when we were here was about "culture shock". Apparently, some of the symptoms can include: depression, tiredness, compulsive handwashing, emotional swings, etc., etc.
Well, I luckliy haven't experienced any of these symptoms (except maybe the tiredness, but c'mon, i'm a college student), but there have been a few cultural differences i've noticed since i arrived here.
I think that the main "shock" that i've noticed is the general pace of life. Even though Dublin is a big modern city that is completely identical to any U.S. city in most respects, the people in general have somehow retained the slower, more relaxed pace of life that we in the United States seem to have discarded several generations ago. As one of my friends professors said, a lot of people in Ireland operate on "ish"-time. As in, if a class is scheduled for 11, it's totally fine for the professor to come in a little late, especially if it's a friday or a monday, or if there was any kind of holiday special event on the previous day that might make a trip to the pub necessary.
This is not a bad thing at all, it's just a little interesting to adjust from the American schedule of everything starting more or less on time, immediate results, and fast or express versions of just about everything, to a more relaxed schedule. I guess i'm just going to have to learn how to "chill out", even though i've always thought of myself as pretty laid back in general. I don't know if a high-strung type-A person would be able to handle Ireland.
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